Friday, 24 MAY 2024 | Gajendra Singh Negi | DEHRADUN
The appeal made by the Uttarakhand government to the prominent personalities (VIPs) to refrain from visiting Char Dhams till the end of May in view of the unprecedented surge in number of pilgrims seems to have fallen flat. In an attempt to manage huge crowds in the shrines witnessed at the start of the Yatra this year, the State government had ordered a ban on the system of VIP Darshan for the first 15 days. Later, the chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami extended this restriction till May 31. However, despite clear orders of the CM, the dignitaries and people having influential connections are continuing to visit the shrines. Bounded by protocol rules and security issues, the administration is forced to make necessary arrangements for them. In the name of the protocol, these VIPs are given a preference in Darshan over the general public. The officials are marking letters of the VIP Darshan request from the prominent persons to their subordinates and Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) for making necessary arrangements for them. The Pioneer is in possession of such letters. It is learnt that many politicians, including ministers, judges, members of parliament, their relatives, friends and senior officers of the Central and State governments have availed the benefit of VIP Darshan despite a ban imposed by the State government. The Badrinath and Kedarnath shrines are frequented by the VIPs. The Governor of Uttarakhand was in Badrinath with his family on the day of opening of portals on May 12. The Chief Justice of Uttarakhand High Court Ritu Bahri visited Kedarnath and Badrinath shrines on May 23.
The minister of State (independent charge) for Power, Rajasthan, Hira Lal Nagar and nine of his family members visited Badrinath on May 18 and were given preferential Darshan.
Similarly, a relative of Chhattisgarh deputy CM Vijay Sharma, a relative of Meerut MP Rajendra Agarwal and a senior officer of Debt Recovery Tribunal have gone for VIP Darshan in Badrinath.
For the Darshan, the VIPs are usually given entry in Badrinath temple from gate number three while in Kedarnath the exit gate is used as entry point for the VIPs.
The system of VIP Darshan creates hindrance in the normal functioning of the temples and also creates resentment among the devotees who have to wait for a considerable time in long queues for having a Darshan of the deity.
When contacted, the Garhwal commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey told The Pioneer that the system of VIP Darshan is banned as per the order of the CM. He, however, added that a separate system of Darshan is being followed for the pilgrims arriving by helicopter services as per the regulations.
