PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun
Following the tragic stampede at the Mansa Devi temple in Haridwar on July 27, which so far has claimed the lives of nine devotees and left over 30 others injured, chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has directed the Tourism department to prepare a comprehensive master plan for all major religious sites in the State.
Taking swift action after inspecting the incident site personally, Dhami emphasised the urgent need for structured crowd control, safe access and better facilities to prevent such incidents in the future. Acting on the CM’s instructions, principal secretary RK Sudhanshu has issued orders to the secretary of Tourism to initiate immediate planning and implementation.
According to his order, the plan will focus on religious destinations that attract large numbers of pilgrims annually. It will aim to improve overall management through better entry and exit routes, increased holding capacity, emergency evacuation provisions and the removal of illegal encroachments on approach roads. Authorities have been instructed to prioritise these changes and ensure their timely execution with active involvement of the divisional commissioners of both Garhwal and Kumaon.
According to Sudhanshu, the master plan will also include the development of clean drinking water facilities, toilets, first-aid centers, waiting areas for devotees, structured information and guidance systems, sufficient parking spaces and the deployment of an adequate number of security personnel. The CM also reiterated that with crores of pilgrims visiting Uttarakhand’s religious sites every year, it is the government’s responsibility to ensure their safety and comfort. He stated that by upgrading public infrastructure and streamlining pilgrimage routes, the State aims to offer a more secure and well organised spiritual journey to all devotees.
