UTTARAKHAND SUSPENDS CHAR DHAM YATRA
DEHRADUN: Burnt by its experience with the Mahakumbh, and worried that the Char Dham yatra could end up being another super-spreader event, the Uttarakhand government on Thursday postponed the pilgrimage to four of the holiest Hindu shrines in the state, scheduled to start on May 14.
“Even locals will not be allowed inside the shrines,” said chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat who, ahead of the Kumbh, spoke of how faith would overcome fear.
“People will not be allowed to undertake the yatra [pilgrimage], given the sharp increase in Covid-19 cases,” he added.
DEHRADUN: Singed by its experience with the Mahakumbh, and worried that the Char Dham yatra could end up being another superspreader event, the Uttarakhand government on Thursday postponed the pilgrimage to four of the holiest Hindu shrines in the state, scheduled to start on May 14.
The move comes even as a surging second wave of Covid-19 has pushed daily infections above the 350,000-mark daily, with an active caseload of over 3 million overwhelming the health care system. The Uttarakhand government was widely criticised for its poor management of the Mahakumbh, with most Covid safety protocol being followed more in the breach than in the observance; the Centre too was criticised for allowing the event to go ahead.
But the state seems to have woken up to the threat of Covid-19 now.
“Even locals will not be allowed inside the shrines,” said chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat who, ahead of the Kumbh, spoke of how faith would overcome fear. “Only priests of the Char Dham shrines will perform rituals and worship. People will not be allowed to undertake the yatra [pilgrimage], given the sharp increase in Covid-19 cases.”
Officials said the portals of the shrines of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri, and Gangotri will remain open during the pilgrimage season.
Four senior seers died of Covid-19 after participating in Mahakumbh in Haridwar this month. Millions of devotees attended the mega fair from April 1, when the state had 2,236 active cases. The number of active cases rose to 45,383 on Wednesday.
Swami Avdheshanand Giri, Mahamandleshwar (head) of Juna Akhada, the largest of the 13 sects of seers, was on April 17 forced to declare the conclusion of the Mahakumbh amid the surge in the cases. The announcement came after a phone call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who requested only symbolic participation in the fourth and last Shahi Snan (holy dip) in the Ganga at the mega fair on April 27.
Ravinath Raman, the chief executive officer of Char Dham Devasthanam Management Board, said a meeting was held on Thursday, where the decision to postpone the pilgrimage due to the Covid-19 situation was taken. “If later in the year, the situation improves, the yatra can be allowed with conditions and Covid curbs.”
Uttarakhand has been reporting its highest ever daily cases and Covid deaths for the past week. On Wednesday, the state reported 6,054 cases and 108 deaths, the highest in a day since March last year.
Anoop Nautiyal, the founder of Dehradun-based think tank Social Development for Communities who has been analysing Covid-19 data in the state, welcomed the decision to postpone the yatra. “Once the caseload, deaths, and positivity rate decline, we can consider restarting the yatra with suitable precautions...”