Uttarakhand govt defers Char Dham pilgrimage
DEHRADUN: The state government on Tuesday took a U-turn on its announcement that Char Dham yatra will be opened from June 15 for residents three districts - Chamoli, Rudraprayag and Uttarkashi - where the four shrines are located.
Subodh Uniyal, cabinet minister and spokesperson for the state government, said the government has decided to defer the opening of the yatra as issues related to the yatra are being heard in the Uttarakhand high court and hotels, resorts and shops are still shut due to the extension of the Covid curfew in the state till June 22.
“So, if pilgrims go there, what will they eat or where they will stay. Also, I was apprised that Char Dham Devasthanam Board needs more time to complete the preparations for the yatra. So due to these factors, we will now take a decision about opening the yatra on completion of preparations and lifting of the COVID curfew in the state”, he said.
The high court has repeatedly expressed its concern over Char Dham Yatra, especially during the time last month when the state was reporting very high Covid cases on a daily basis. On June 9, expressing displeasure over secretary tourism Dilip Jawalkar not having visited Char Dham, the court directed him to apprise the court what the preparations and measures the government had taken for the phase-wise opening of Char Dham yatra and upcoming tourist season by June 16.
On Monday, Uniyal said the Char Dham yatra will be opened for locals in three districts from June 15. He had said that Kedarnath shrine will be open for people in Rudraprayag district, Badrinath will be open for people in Chamoli, and Yamunotri and Gangotri shrines will be open for people in Uttarkashi district. Locals will have to bring negative RT-PCR report with them
Earlier this month, tourism minister Satpal Maharaj had said the government has plans to open Char Dham yatra in a phased manner, first for locals and then for people outside the state.