News Analysis India

Tag: Chardham Yatra

  • Chardham Yatra begins with opening of Gangotri and Yamunotri shrines

    Express News Service

    On the “auspicious occasion of Akshaya Tritiya”, the portals of the world-famous Gangotri and Yamunotri shrines have been opened for devotees amid chanting of Vedic mantras. According to the schedule, the portals of Gangotri Dham have been opened at 12.35 pm on Saturday and the Yamunotri Dham at 12.41 pm.

    Now for the next six months, devotees will be able to worship ‘Maa Ganga’ in Gangotri and ‘Maa Yamuna’ in Yamunotri Dham. On behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami offered his first puja and prayed for the prosperity of Uttarakhand and the country.

    With this, the world-famous Chardham Yatra started on Saturday.  Now in the next phase, the portals of Shri Kedarnath Dham will open on April 25 and of Shri Badrinath Dham on April 27. On reaching Devbhoomi, the pilgrims were welcomed by showering flowers from the helicopter.

    Speaking to The New Indian Express, Tourism Minister Satpal Maharaj said, “Given the encouraging number of pilgrims coming to the Chardham Yatra, male and female “Tourism Assistance and Safety Friends” are being deployed through outsourced mode for the safety and assistance of pilgrims. He informed that 16,89,496 (sixteen lakh eighty thousand four hundred and twenty-six) pilgrims have registered themselves under the registration of Chardham and Hemkund Sahib pilgrims which started from February 18 this year.

    “On the arrival of ‘Utsav Doli’ of Maa Ganga, the portals of the shrine were opened for devotees on the occasion of ‘Sarvath Amrit Siddha Yog’ after performing Ganga Pujan, Ganga Sahasranama recitation and special pujas,” Gangotri Temple Committee president Harish Semwal told this newspaper.

    Yamunotri Temple Committee Secretary Suresh Uniyal told this daily, “Led by Shani Dev, the doli of Maa Yamuna left Kharsali village for Yamunotri Dham at 8 am on Saturday”. After offering prayers and performing Havan, the portals of the shrine have been opened for devotees in ‘Abhijeet Muhurat’ amid chanting of Vedic mantras.

    According to the status of registration of pilgrims in various dhams, so far 600434 for Kedarnath, 507759 for Badrinath, 307068 for Gangotri, 262621 for Yamunotri and 11614 for Hemkund have registered themselves.

    On the “auspicious occasion of Akshaya Tritiya”, the portals of the world-famous Gangotri and Yamunotri shrines have been opened for devotees amid chanting of Vedic mantras. According to the schedule, the portals of Gangotri Dham have been opened at 12.35 pm on Saturday and the Yamunotri Dham at 12.41 pm.

    Now for the next six months, devotees will be able to worship ‘Maa Ganga’ in Gangotri and ‘Maa Yamuna’ in Yamunotri Dham. On behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami offered his first puja and prayed for the prosperity of Uttarakhand and the country.

    With this, the world-famous Chardham Yatra started on Saturday.  Now in the next phase, the portals of Shri Kedarnath Dham will open on April 25 and of Shri Badrinath Dham on April 27. On reaching Devbhoomi, the pilgrims were welcomed by showering flowers from the helicopter.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Speaking to The New Indian Express, Tourism Minister Satpal Maharaj said, “Given the encouraging number of pilgrims coming to the Chardham Yatra, male and female “Tourism Assistance and Safety Friends” are being deployed through outsourced mode for the safety and assistance of pilgrims. He informed that 16,89,496 (sixteen lakh eighty thousand four hundred and twenty-six) pilgrims have registered themselves under the registration of Chardham and Hemkund Sahib pilgrims which started from February 18 this year.

    “On the arrival of ‘Utsav Doli’ of Maa Ganga, the portals of the shrine were opened for devotees on the occasion of ‘Sarvath Amrit Siddha Yog’ after performing Ganga Pujan, Ganga Sahasranama recitation and special pujas,” Gangotri Temple Committee president Harish Semwal told this newspaper.

    Yamunotri Temple Committee Secretary Suresh Uniyal told this daily, “Led by Shani Dev, the doli of Maa Yamuna left Kharsali village for Yamunotri Dham at 8 am on Saturday”. After offering prayers and performing Havan, the portals of the shrine have been opened for devotees in ‘Abhijeet Muhurat’ amid chanting of Vedic mantras.

    According to the status of registration of pilgrims in various dhams, so far 600434 for Kedarnath, 507759 for Badrinath, 307068 for Gangotri, 262621 for Yamunotri and 11614 for Hemkund have registered themselves.

  • Chardham Yatra: VIP pilgrims will have to pay Rs 300 for darshan at Kedarnath and Badrinath Dham.

    Express News Service

    DEHRADUN: For the first time in the history of Chardham Yatra, VIP pilgrims will have to pay an additional fee of Rs 300 for darshan at Kedarnath and Badrinath Dham.

    After studying the ‘puja system’ and darshan arrangements at four major temples of the country – Tirupati Balaji, Vaishno Devi, Mahakaleshwar and Somnath temples, the Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) has decided to implement the fee system for VIP devotees in the Chardham Yatra. Apart from this, a trident made of ashtadhatu weighing 100 kg will be installed in the Kedarnath temple.

    On Monday, a board meeting was held at the Canal Road office under the chairmanship of BKTC President Ajendra Ajay, in which many important decisions were taken regarding the Yatra arrangements of Kedarnath and Badrinath Dham. The meeting passed a budget of Rs 76.26 crore for the upcoming financial year 2023-24. Apart from this, an action plan for Chardham Yatra was also approved.

    Speaking to The New Indian Express, BKTC chairman Ajendra Ajay said, “This fee will be charged only from VIP pilgrims. The timings and lines of common pilgrims will not be affected. After studying the operating system in other pilgrimage sites of the country, this decision has turned out to be relativelybetter for Uttarakhand and according to the consensus that has been reached after consultation with experts and public representatives, this decision has been taken”.

    Defining VIP devotees, Badri Kedar Temple Committee CEO Yogendra Singh told this newspaper, “Under the protocol, any person who falls in the category of VIP or special persons and is defined as such by their institution will be considered a VIP by BKTC”.

    According to CEO Singh, “As per the protocol, BKTC personnel will take care of visiting the temples and distribution of prasad etc. to the VIPs coming for darshan. This will not create chaos in the name of the VIP facility. So far, police, administration, BKTC etc. handle darshan arrangements in their own way tomake VIPs visit”.

    “Whatever donations or offerings the devotees make for the temple, the salaried priests and staff of BKTC will not accept it”, Singh said, adding, “The staff associated with the puja system will motivate the devotees to put donations in the donation box.” “Otherwise action will be taken against the employees.Transparent arrangements will be made for counting donations in temples. For this, transparent glass huts will be built in both the dhams. Which will be equipped with CCTV cameras,” said Singh.

    DEHRADUN: For the first time in the history of Chardham Yatra, VIP pilgrims will have to pay an additional fee of Rs 300 for darshan at Kedarnath and Badrinath Dham.

    After studying the ‘puja system’ and darshan arrangements at four major temples of the country – Tirupati Balaji, Vaishno Devi, Mahakaleshwar and Somnath temples, the Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) has decided to implement the fee system for VIP devotees in the Chardham Yatra. Apart from this, a trident made of ashtadhatu weighing 100 kg will be installed in the Kedarnath temple.

    On Monday, a board meeting was held at the Canal Road office under the chairmanship of BKTC President Ajendra Ajay, in which many important decisions were taken regarding the Yatra arrangements of Kedarnath and Badrinath Dham. The meeting passed a budget of Rs 76.26 crore for the upcoming financial year 2023-24. Apart from this, an action plan for Chardham Yatra was also approved.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Speaking to The New Indian Express, BKTC chairman Ajendra Ajay said, “This fee will be charged only from VIP pilgrims. The timings and lines of common pilgrims will not be affected. After studying the operating system in other pilgrimage sites of the country, this decision has turned out to be relatively
    better for Uttarakhand and according to the consensus that has been reached after consultation with experts and public representatives, this decision has been taken”.

    Defining VIP devotees, Badri Kedar Temple Committee CEO Yogendra Singh told this newspaper, “Under the protocol, any person who falls in the category of VIP or special persons and is defined as such by their institution will be considered a VIP by BKTC”.

    According to CEO Singh, “As per the protocol, BKTC personnel will take care of visiting the temples and distribution of prasad etc. to the VIPs coming for darshan. This will not create chaos in the name of the VIP facility. So far, police, administration, BKTC etc. handle darshan arrangements in their own way to
    make VIPs visit”.

    “Whatever donations or offerings the devotees make for the temple, the salaried priests and staff of BKTC will not accept it”, Singh said, adding, “The staff associated with the puja system will motivate the devotees to put donations in the donation box.” “Otherwise action will be taken against the employees.
    Transparent arrangements will be made for counting donations in temples. For this, transparent glass huts will be built in both the dhams. Which will be equipped with CCTV cameras,” said Singh.

  • Char Dham Yatra : Government to hand over heli booking services to IRCTC

    By Express News Service

    DEHRADUN: Registration for the Chardham Yatra, which has made a major contribution to the state’s economy, will begin on February 21. This year, the government has decided to book tickets for heli services during the Char Dham Yatra through the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).

    The Char Dham Yatra will begin with the opening of the portals of Gangotri and Yamunotri on April 22,followed by Kedarnath on April 25 and Badrinath Dham on April 27.

    The Uttarakhand government has decided to book heli service tickets through IRCTC with an aim to streamline and simplify the ‘Char Dham Yatra’.  A fresh tender process is underway for the Kedarnath heli service. A three-year contract will be signed with nine companies for heli service operations from Guptkashi, Sirsi and Phata. Till now, tickets were booked online through Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN).

    “IRCTC has a robust system of booking railway tickets”, Uttarakhand Civil Aviation department authority (UCADA) Additional Executive Officer Anil Singh told this newspaper, “The tender process for Kedarnath heli service is going on. Online ticket booking is being considered for handling over to IRCTC”. 70 per cent of the tickets for the Kedarnath heli service are booked online while 30 per cent of ticketsare booked through companies operating heli service. Till now, online ticket booking was done through GMVN.

    “The tourism department has advised pilgrims to register before the yatra as well as undergo health check-ups” and “also to travel slowly in the camps with a short halt on the yatra route, so that passengers coming from hot regions can adapt themselves to the climate here”, state tourism secretary Sachin Kurve toldthis newspaper.

    “In the year 2022, there was a 35 per cent increase in the number of Char Dham pilgrims as compared to the pre-Covid season in 2019,” Badri Kedar Temple Committee Chairman Ajayendra Ajay told TNIE, adding that “over 1.32 lakh people availed helicopter services to visit Kedarnath temple”.  There was a huge rush for the heli service in May-June as the rush of pilgrims peaked during the yatra. The operation of heli service is also frequently affected due to bad weather in Kedarnath. Due to this the backlog of advance booking of tickets increases, and passengers have to wait a long time.

    In the year 2022, a total of 4681131 pilgrims visited Chardham and Hemkund Sahib. The government hopes to cross this figure this time. For the Yatra, which begins on April 22, the government has also directed this time that pilgrims coming to Uttarakhand will have to mandatorily install a “vehicle location tracking system” with their vehicle registration.

    DEHRADUN: Registration for the Chardham Yatra, which has made a major contribution to the state’s economy, will begin on February 21. This year, the government has decided to book tickets for heli services during the Char Dham Yatra through the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).

    The Char Dham Yatra will begin with the opening of the portals of Gangotri and Yamunotri on April 22,
    followed by Kedarnath on April 25 and Badrinath Dham on April 27.

    The Uttarakhand government has decided to book heli service tickets through IRCTC with an aim to streamline and simplify the ‘Char Dham Yatra’.  A fresh tender process is underway for the Kedarnath heli service. A three-year contract will be signed with nine companies for heli service operations from Guptkashi, Sirsi and Phata. Till now, tickets were booked online through Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN).

    “IRCTC has a robust system of booking railway tickets”, Uttarakhand Civil Aviation department authority (UCADA) Additional Executive Officer Anil Singh told this newspaper, “The tender process for Kedarnath heli service is going on. Online ticket booking is being considered for handling over to IRCTC”. 70 per cent of the tickets for the Kedarnath heli service are booked online while 30 per cent of tickets
    are booked through companies operating heli service. Till now, online ticket booking was done through GMVN.

    “The tourism department has advised pilgrims to register before the yatra as well as undergo health check-ups” and “also to travel slowly in the camps with a short halt on the yatra route, so that passengers coming from hot regions can adapt themselves to the climate here”, state tourism secretary Sachin Kurve told
    this newspaper.

    “In the year 2022, there was a 35 per cent increase in the number of Char Dham pilgrims as compared to the pre-Covid season in 2019,” Badri Kedar Temple Committee Chairman Ajayendra Ajay told TNIE, adding that “over 1.32 lakh people availed helicopter services to visit Kedarnath temple”.  There was a huge rush for the heli service in May-June as the rush of pilgrims peaked during the yatra. The operation of heli service is also frequently affected due to bad weather in Kedarnath. Due to this the backlog of advance booking of tickets increases, and passengers have to wait a long time.

    In the year 2022, a total of 4681131 pilgrims visited Chardham and Hemkund Sahib. The government hopes to cross this figure this time. For the Yatra, which begins on April 22, the government has also directed this time that pilgrims coming to Uttarakhand will have to mandatorily install a “vehicle location tracking system” with their vehicle registration.

  • Incessant rains lash Uttarakhand; Chardham yatra halted temporarily

    By PTI

    DEHRADUN: Incessant rains lashed Uttarakhand for the second consecutive day on Monday, prompting the authorities to advise Chardham pilgrims not to proceed to the Himalayan temples till the weather improves.

    Pilgrims headed for Yamunotri have been asked to stay in Badkot and Jankichatti, whereas those en route to Gangotri have been asked to stay in Harsil, Bhatwari and Maneri, Uttarkashi District Magistrate Mayur Dikshit said.

    Kedarnath and Badrinath-bound pilgrims have also been requested not to proceed on their journey till the weather clears.

    Most of the pilgrims on way to Badrinath are staying in Joshimath and Chamoli, Chamoli district disaster management officer N K Joshi said.

    Around 4,000 yatris headed for Kedarnath have been stopped in Linchauli and Bhimbali as a precautionary measure, Rudraprayag disaster management officer N S Singh said.

    The Chardham Devasthanam Board said the yatra has been temporarily halted for the sake of safety of pilgrims in view of the heavy rain alert issued by the Uttarakhand meteorological department for October 17-19.

    The peaks beyond Badrinath and Kedarnath received light snowfall, whereas the lower areas in Chamoli district were lashed by continuous showers.

    Rain continued in Uttarkashi and Dehradun as well.

    Union Home Minister Amit Shah, meanwhile, spoke to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on the phone to get an update on precautionary steps being taken by the state government in view of the heavy rain alert and assured him of all possible help.

    Dhami has asked the district administrations to provide hourly updates on the weather and the condition of roads.

    He also asked them to keep a minimum response time in case of a disaster.

    Most educational institutions across Uttarakhand remained closed on Monday, while a ban was imposed on trekking, mountaineering and camping activities in the high altitude areas of the state, including the Nanda Devi biosphere reserve and various forest divisions, till Tuesday as a precautionary measure.

    The district level Khel Mahakumbh events to be held at parade and pavilion grounds in Dehradun on October 18-19 have been cancelled.

    They have now been rescheduled for October 24 and 25.

    Heavy to very heavy rains, lightning, hail storms and high speed winds (60-70 kmph) have been predicted by the Met department for all 13 districts of Uttarakhand between October 17 and 19. 

  • Three dead as incessant rains lash Uttarakhand; Chardham yatra halted temporarily

    By PTI

    DEHRADUN: Three labourers from Nepal died and two more were injured as incessant rains lashed Uttarakhand for the second consecutive day on Monday, prompting the authorities to advise Chardham pilgrims not to proceed to the Himalayan temples till the weather improves.

    The labourers were staying in a tent at Samkhal near Lansdowne in Pauri district when rubble flowing down from a field above due to the rains buried them alive, District Magistrate Vijay Kumar Jogdande said.

    They had been engaged in a hotel construction work in the area.

    The injured were admitted to the Kotdwar base hospital, he said.

    Meanwhile, Chardham pilgrims who arrived in Haridwar and Rishikesh by Sunday have been asked not to proceed further till the weather improves, while operation of vehicles for the Himalayan temples has been suspended temporarily.

    Passenger vehicles are not being allowed to cross the Chandrabhaga bridge, Tapovan, Lakshman Jhoola and Muni-ki-Reti Bhadrakali barriers in Rishikesh.

    Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the state disaster control room at the secretariat here to take weather updates and know the conditions of roads and highways.

    He appealed to the pilgrims to defer their journey for two days until the weather normalises.

    They are staying in safe locations spread across Haridwar, Rishikesh, Shrinagar, Tehri, Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Guptkashi, Ukhimath, Karnaprayag, Joshimath and Pandukeshwar.

    Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Dhami on the phone to get an update on precautionary steps being taken by the state government in view of the heavy rain alert and assured him of all possible help.

    It has been raining in Kedarnath since Sunday night but the Mandakini river is flowing at its normal level.

    A Devasthanam Board official said regular prayers at the four Himalayan temples are continuing and pilgrims staying there are safe.

    Pilgrims headed for Yamunotri have been asked to stay in Badkot and Jankichatti, whereas those en route to Gangotri have been asked to stay in Harsil, Bhatwari and Maneri, Uttarkashi District Magistrate Mayur Dikshit told PTI.

    Kedarnath and Badrinath-bound pilgrims have also been requested not to proceed on their journey till the weather clears.

    Most of the pilgrims on way to Badrinath are staying in Joshimath and Chamoli, Chamoli district disaster management officer N K Joshi said.

    Around 4,000 yatris out of a total of 6,000 in Kedarnath on Sunday have returned while the rest are lodged in safe locations.

    Many of them have been stopped in Linchauli and Bhimbali as a precautionary measure, Rudraprayag disaster management officer N S Singh said.

    The Chardham Devasthanam Board said the yatra has been temporarily halted for the sake of safety of pilgrims in view of the heavy rain alert issued by the Uttarakhand meteorological department for October 17-19.

    The peaks beyond Badrinath and Kedarnath received light snowfall, whereas the lower areas in Chamoli district were lashed by continuous showers.

    Rain continued in Uttarkashi and Dehradun as well.

    Dhami has asked the district administrations to provide hourly updates on the weather and the condition of roads.

    He also asked them to keep a minimum response time in case of a disaster.

    Most educational institutions across Uttarakhand remained closed on Monday, while a ban was imposed on trekking, mountaineering and camping activities in the high altitude areas of the state, including the Nanda Devi biosphere reserve and various forest divisions, till Tuesday as a precautionary measure.

    The district-level Khel Mahakumbh events to be held at parade and pavilion grounds in Dehradun on October 18-19 have been cancelled.

    They have now been rescheduled for October 24 and 25.

    Heavy to very heavy rains, lightning, hail storms and high speed winds (60-70 kmph) have been predicted by the Met department for all 13 districts of Uttarakhand between October 17 and 19.

  • Chardham Yatra: Uttarakhand government mulls easier registration process

    By PTI

    DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand government is considering to simplify registration for the Chardham Yatra, exempting pilgrims from the formality of dual registration on Smart City and Devasthanam Board portals for an e-pass.

    Additional Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan in a meeting with officials of departments connected with the yatra said an interim plea should be filed in the Uttarakhand High Court, seeking an increase in daily number of pilgrims visiting the temples.

    Asking them to simplify the procedures for the yatra, he said since conditions on both portals are the same, exempting Devasthanam Board e-pass holders from the compulsion of registering on Smart City portal can be considered.

    The process of registration on the Devasthanam Board portal and checking of e-passes should be simplified as much as possible, he said.

    Bardhan also asked officials to address the difficulties being faced by pilgrims in logging into the Devasthanam Board portal and establishing a QR code system for checking of e-passes on check points en route to the shrines of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri.

  • Uttarakhand HC gives nod to Chardham Yatra, sets limit on daily number of devotees visiting shrines

    By PTI

    NAINITAL: The Uttarakhand High Court on Thursday vacated its stay on the Chardham Yatra and directed the state government to conduct the pilgrimage with strict adherence to COVID-19 norms.

    Lifting the ban on the yatra, a division bench of the court comprising Chief Justice RS Chauhan and Justice Alok Kumar Verma said the pilgrimage will start with restrictions like a daily limit on the number of devotees visiting the temples.

    The court said that carrying a negative COVID test report and a vaccination certificate will also be mandatory for the visitors.

    Putting a daily cap on the number of devotees visiting the famous Himalayan temples also known as the chardham, the high court said 800 pilgrims will be allowed in Kedarnath Dham, 1200 in Badrinath Dham, 600 in Gangotri and 400 in Yamunotri every day.

    Pilgrims will not be allowed to take a bath in any of the springs around the temples, it said. Police force will be deployed as per requirements during the Char Dham Yatra in Chamoli, Rudraprayag and Uttarkashi districts.

    The court order comes as a big relief to the state government which was under pressure from various quarters to start the pilgrimage with which the livelihoods of lakhs of people including travel agents and pilgrimage priests are linked.

    With the COVID situation being uncertain, the court had on June 28 put a stay on the state Cabinet’s decision to start the Chardham Yatra in a limited way for the residents of Chamoli, Rudraprayag and Uttarkashi districts where the temples are located.

    It had plans to open up the yatra in a phased manner for pilgrims from outside the state depending on the COVID situation. The state government then approached the Supreme Court to vacate the high court’s stay on the yatra.

    As the matter was pending in the apex court, the high court was not in a position to hear the state government’s plea seeking lifting of the ban. However, it recently withdrew its SLP in the Supreme Court paving the way for the high court to hear its plea.

    Advocate General SN Babulkar and Chief Standing Advocate CS Rawat, appearing for the government, demanded that the ban be removed to restore the livelihood of the local people. The advocate general said there is an earning period of the Chardham Yatra and if the season passes, many families will suffer huge losses.

    The advocate general further pleaded that the initial worry of the Court while imposing the ban has been addressed and there has been a significant improvement in health services. The government also assured the Court that there will be a strict adherence to the COVID-19 SOP for the Yatra.

    In June, the high court had stayed the Chardham Yatra till further orders, while hearing public interest litigations (PIL) related to increase in Covid cases, lack of health facilities and other factors. Against this order, the state government had filed a special leave petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court, which could not be heard.

    Advocate General SN Babulkar and CSC Chandrashekhar Rawat had recently requested a bench headed by Chief Justice RS Chauhan to lift the ban on travel, but the court refused to consider it, citing the SLP pending before the Supreme Court.

    The government withdrew the SLP from the Supreme Court and apprised the high court, after which the high court heard the matter.

  • Uttarakhand government approaches HC seeks resumption of Chardham Yatra

    By ANI

    DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand government on Tuesday approached the High Court in Nainital seeking the resumption of the Chardham Yatra.

    On Tuesday, Advocate General SN Babulkar and Chief Standing Advocate Chandrashekhar Rawat, appearing before the division bench of Chief Justice RS Chauhan and Justice Alok Kumar Verma, orally requested to lift the ban on Chardham Yatra by saying that the livelihood of thousands of people is linked to the Chardham Yatra.

    The High Court stated that “As long as the matter is sub-judice in the Supreme Court, the High Court cannot consider lifting the stay.”

    Earlier, The High Court on June 28 had put a stay on further orders on the basis of lack of health services in Chardham Yatra districts, lack of adequate preparations to control COVID-19 infection, shortage of doctors and the report of the district administration.

    However, in July, the state government had filed a special leave petition in the Supreme Court.

    The Chardham Yatra, which includes a visit to the Kedarnath temple, attracts lakhs of tourists and devotees every year from across the country and abroad.

  • Uttarakhand government moves Supreme Court against HC order staying Chardham Yatra

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Uttarakhand government on Tuesday moved the Supreme Court against the High Court order staying the Chardham Yatra while reversing a state cabinet’s decision to open it partially for residents of three districts from July 1.

    The state government said that the Uttarakhand High Court committed an error in not appreciating that the livelihood of a significant portion of the population living around the Char Dham is dependent on the Yatra.

    It said that the High Court has “wrongly” stayed the part of the state cabinet order dated June 25, with respect to conducting restricted Chardham Yatra, only for a fixed number of pilgrims residing in three districts of Chamoli, Rudraprayag and Uttarkashi where the respective Char Dhams are located.

    The State government said that the present COVID positivity rate (between June 15 to July 2) in the concerning three districts are — Chamoli-0.64 per cent, Rudraprayag-1.16 per cent and Uttarkashi-0.75 per cent.

    The four holy shrines dedicated to Hindu gods and rivers — being Badrinath Dham, Kedarnath Dham, Gangotri Dham and Yamunotri Dham are situated in Garhwal region of the State and lakhs of devotees visit these shrines every year during the Chardham Yatra, which commences from April uptill November.

    It said that pursuant to the COVID-19 pandemic, many PILs were filed before the High Court seeking various directions against the state government to take measures for controlling spread of the pandemic.

    “In the said batch of PILs, the High Court kept passing directions pertaining to Char Dham without any pleadings or submissions made by the respondents,” the plea said.

    It said that the due to the second wave of pandemic, the state government on May 3, has suspended the Chardham Yatra for 2021 while allowing the rituals and Pooja of the deity at each Dhams to be conducted by the respective priests/Dham management from 7 AM to 7 PM.

    “It is submitted that the State, stands aggrieved with only the paragraph of the impugned interim order, vide which cabinet decision dated June 25, 2021 regarding opening of restricted Chardham Yatra in first phase, has been stayed,” it said.

    The appeal said that in another paragraph of the order, the High Court has directed the chief secretary of secretary tourism, to inform the court whether live streaming of the rituals of Chardham has commenced or not, on the next date on July 7.

    That the decision whether live streaming of rituals of Char Dham can be done or not and if it can be done then in how much time – has to be taken by Board, whose chairman is the chief minister of the state.

    It sought setting aside of the June 28 order on the ground that none of the PILs before the High Court have sought suspension or cancellation of Char Dham Yatra-2021 and the cabinet decision of June 25, was also never challenged before the court.

    On June 28, the High Court has besides staying the cabinet’s decision on Chardham Yatra has expressed dissatisfaction with the state government’s arrangements for pilgrims and tourists during the Yatra amid the COVID pandemic.

    Rejecting the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) issued by the state government for the yatra, the high court had said they were just a copy of the guidelines issued during the Kumbh Mela.

    The high court has observed that it is more important to save everyone from the Delta Plus mutant of coronavirus rather than being considerate towards the feelings of a few.

  • Additional vaccine doses made available to five uttarakhand districts due to chardham yatra

    By PTI
    DEHRADUN: With chardham yatra beginning for locals on July 1, additional Covid vaccine doses were made available on Saturday to Chamoli, Rudraprayag and Uttarkashi districts where the four Himalayan temples are located.

    Additional doses were also made available to the Pauri and Tehri districts which are on the way to the four Himalayan shrines.

    Additional vaccine doses were made available to these districts on directions of Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat who wants everyone associated with the chardham yatra, including priests, shopkeepers, people running roadside eateries, local residents, pony operators and cab drivers, to be vaccinated on priority, an official release here said.

    This is being done for the safety of both pilgrims and those who are likely to come into their contact in the course of the yatra, it said.

    Chamoli, where Badrinath temple is located, has been given 5,000 doses, Uttarakashi where Gangotri and Yamunotri are located has got 10,000 doses, and Rudraprayag, where Kedarnath is located, has been given 5,000 doses, the statement said.

    Pauri and Tehri districts which are located en route to the Himalayan temples have been given 5,000 vaccine doses each.

    The Uttarakhand Cabinet on Friday decided to partially open the chardham yatra for locals (people of Chamoli, Rudraprayag and Uttarkashi districts) from July 1.