Unruly operation of mules irks pilgrims
we were made aware of weather conditions, or provided a weather forecast at Rishikesh or near some big town so that we could have halted there while it was raining,” said Sumit Awasthi from Kanpur.
The district administrations at Chamoli and Rudraprayag, where the Kedarnath and Badrinath temples are located, started placing signboards at landslide zones and have deployed additional JCB machines so that the routes are cleared without any delay after rockfalls, which are frequent in the areas.
“More than 2 lakh devotees have visited the Kedarnath shrine so far, which is a record,” Dikshit said. in the stater till 8.30 am on Wednesday.
The warning was issued at 3 pm on Tuesday.
The IMD Dehradun centre has also forecast light to moderate rainfall/thunderstorm likely to occur at many places in Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Chamoli (where Char Dhams are located) and at a few places in hills of the remaining districts and at isolated places in plains of Uttarakhand.
The state reported 7 mm rainfall between 8.30 am Monday to 8.30 am Tuesday, registering a departure of 369 % from the expected normal rainfall during this period.
Rudraprayag. where Kedarnath Dham is located, reported 15 mm rain in the same period, registering a departure of 498 from the normal, while Uttarkashi (where Gangotri and Yamunotri are located ) reported 6.7 mm rainfall, registering a departure of 855 % from the normal. Chamoli (where Badrinath Dham is located) recorded 7 mm rainfall, registering a departure of 250 % from normal.
OVER 2,000 HORSES AND MULES WERE OPERATING IN THE YATRA ROUTE
MUSSOORIE: Chaotic operation of mules and horses deployed to carry pilgrims from Gaurikund has irked pilgrims who are heading towards Kedarnath shrine.
“Directions have been given to local officials to operate horses and mules on a rotation basis so that there is no inconvenience to pedestrians on the Kedarnath Yatra route,”
In view of the chaos and jam situation arising out of the operation of horses and mules on the Kedarnath Yatra route, Rudraprayag DM Mayur Dixit said.
Rajesh Kumar, additional chief officer of district panchayat, said in pursuance of the directions of the district magistrate, operation of horse and mules on a rotation basis has been started on May 16.
Sumit Sircar, a pilgrim from West Bengal, said, “Mule operators rush to Gaurikund after leaving the pilgrims in Kedarnath in such without taking into consideration safety of pedestrians on way up thus posing risk to our lives in the process.”
Pawan Ahuja, a pilgrim from Delhi, said: “Mule operation should be regulated properly so that it does not cause inconvenience to the pilgrims.”
Over 2,000 horses and mules were operating in the yatra route.
So far, 136 challans have been issued to owners of horses and mules and hawkers without registration, said Kumar.