U’khand to follow Vaishno Devi model
DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand government is mulling bringing a new law on the lines of Vaishno Devi shrine for providing better facilities to pilgrims on the Chardham yatra.
The facilities include creating infrastructure for pilgrims, building shelters, sanitation works and online booking. There is also a proposal for registration of the priests of these shrines.
The proposed legislation will cover around 70 more temples situated around the Chardham shrines.
The draft of the proposed legislation has been prepared by the Chardham Development Council that will soon be submitted to the state government.
HT has a copy of the draft. The state government convened a meeting on Wednesday regarding this issue under the chairmanship of justice (retd) Rajesh Tandon, chairman of the State Law Commission, where it was discussed that the aim of the new law was to make the Chardham Yatra more convenient for pilgrims.
It was decided that with the new law, the state government would build shelter homes near Kedarnath shrine to solve the problem of lodging and that the booking process would be made completely online.
A copy of the draft of the proposed Uttarakhand Chardham Act prepared on the lines of the Vaishno Devi Shrine Board was submitted by Acharya Shiv Prasad Mamgai, vice president Chardham Development Council to Justice Tandon.
During the meeting, Mamgai said a 10-member committee of Chardham Development Council will be formed with the chief minister as its chief executive officer and the members on the board will have a fixed term of three years.
As per the proposed act, priests associated with the four shrines of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri will have to go through a proper registration process will which be done by the board and their work will be divided.
The new act will cover around 70 more temples which are situated around the Chardham shrines.
Justice Tandon said, “The Chardham Act will be made on the lines of the Shrine Act, which will give better facilities to the pilgrims and the state government will also be able to benefit from it.
We have also sought reports from representatives of all the temples by November 27, where they can give their suggestions so that their demands can be incorporated and their rights will be safeguarded.”
Officials further said that when this act will come into force, the existing Uttar Pradesh Shri Badrinath and Shri Kedarnath Act, 1939 will be deemed repealed.
The proposal for bringing a new law comes when the state has witnessed a record number of pilgrims visiting the Chardham shrines, recorded to be over 29 lakh, compared to over 27 lakh last year.
Four Himalayan pilgrimage sites Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath - collectively as Chardham - is one of the major pilgrimages in the Hindu tradition and attract lakhs of pilgrims each year.
Last year, Badrinath shrine received over 10 lakh pilgrims while Kedarnath got over 7 lakh.