PIONEER NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun
The Congress has accused the State government of spreading confusion regarding the number of people who undertake the Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand. Addressing the media here on Sunday, the Congress State vice president (Organisation & Administration), Suryakant Dhasmana alleged that due to confusion regarding the expected number of pilgrims who will undertake the Char Dham Yatra set to start in a few days, the government is talking of online and offline registration of pilgrims, while on the other hand it is stating that even those do not register will be allowed to undertake the Yatra. This will probably result in considerable mismanagement during the pilgrimage, he opined.
Dhasmana said, “About 10 days are left for the start of the Yatra but so far the government has only big claims to show. It lacks a concrete plan to ensure a disruption-free pilgrimage and the arrangements are also lacking. The State’s Tourism minister is unaware of the IIM Rohtak report on the carrying capacity of the cities on the Yatra circuit. The State’s chief secretary has already held a meeting with the district magistrates and other officials concerned on the basis of this report,” he said. The Congress leader said that since the government is inviting an unlimited number of people to undertake the Yatra, there is a possibility that the crowd management may fail, as seen last year when crowds of visitors had thrown away the police barricades in various places.
“The Char Dham Yatra is revered by crores of Sanatanis and is the State’s lifeline providing livelihood to lakhs of people, which makes it vital for the management of the pilgrimage to be successful and free of disruptions. The government is responsible for ensuring the safety of the pilgrims while also addressing issues related to their health, accommodation-food and to ensure that they have a proper Darshan of the deities. It has been seen during the past eight years that the government does make big claims but the arrangements have proven to be lacking. Apart from the July 30 disaster in Kedarnath which disrupted the pilgrimage, the pilgrimage was also disrupted on the Yamunotri and Badrinath routes last year,” Dhasmana said.
He further alleged that the government’s preparations regarding road safety are also poor with an average 1,000 persons dying and 1,500 being injured annually in road accidents during the past five years.
