Wednesday, 22 February 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
CM Dhami reviews preparations by different departments for the Yatra
The Uttarakhand government has come into an active mode for the Char Dham Yatra. The chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami presided over a meeting of the officers of different departments to review the preparation for the Yatra at the State secretariat on Tuesday. In the meeting he directed that all the departments should complete their preparation in time for the Yatra. In view of the Joshimath land subsidence crisis, the CM said that a team of Border Roads Organisation (BRO) would camp in Joshimath to ensure immediate treatment of any crack on the roads and any other issue. A control room of the disaster management would also be set up in Joshimath.
Dhami said that orders were given to the Public Works Department (PWD) to make the roads of the State free from potholes but the complaints of potholes in roads are still being received from different parts of the State. He directed the Principal Secretary PWD to hold review meetings with the officers of PWD and district magistrate every week till the task of making the roads free from potholes is achieved. The CM said that the Char Dhams are centres of the religious faith and it is the responsibility of everyone to make the Yatra safe and accessible. He directed the officers to take corrective measures where problems were faced in last year’s Yatra. Special emphasis should be made on providing better facilities to the pilgrims.
The CM directed that proper arrangement of parking of vehicles on the Yatra route should be made and the parking spots should have facilities for the drivers to take some rest. He said that special attention on maintaining sanitation in the Yatra should be made and necessary arrangements should be made on the bridal routes as well. Dhami said that all petrol pumps should have drinking water facilities and toilets and arrangements for putting signages and crash barriers should be made on the Yatra routes. The CM assured that budget would not be an issue for the arrangements on the Yatra routes but warned that no compromise on quality would be made. The CM directed the officers of the transport department to take the fitness test of vehicles coming to the Char Dham yatra. He said that the proper facilities of health, drinking water, toilets and others should be made on the Yatra routes. The CM directed that arrangement of warm drinking water for the mules and horses on the bridle routes should be made and teams of veterinary doctors should be deployed by the animal husbandry department on the Yatra routes.
On a stern note the CM directed the officers to undertake regular monitoring by working on the ground before the commencement of the Yatra. He suggested that publicity of the other temples and religious places located near the Yatra routes should be made so that the pilgrims visit these places as well during the Yatra. CM said that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appealed to the pilgrims to spend at least five per cent of their tour budget in purchasing local products. This will encourage the local product. He said that efforts should be made for promoting local products and suggested that millet based products should be promoted during the Yatra.
Cabinet ministers Satpal Maharaj, Prem Chand Agarwal, Chandan Ram Das, the chairman of the Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) Ajendra Ajay, MLAs Bharat Chaudhary, Shaila Rani Rawat, Durgeshwar Lal, chief secretary SS Sandhu, additional chief secretary Radha Raturi, secretaries and heads of the different departments and district magistrates attended the meeting.
