Saturday, 15 October 2022 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Tourism minister Satpal Maharaj said that in order to conduct the Char Dham Yatra according to its capacity, a pilgrim should be allowed to visit the Char Dham shrines only once in a year. The Char Dham registration should be linked to Aadhaar for this purpose. The minister said this while reviewing arrangements for the winter Char Dham Yatra with officials of the tourism department here on Friday. He directed the officials to ensure that the visitors receive all necessary facilities conveniently during the winter. The officials were also told to develop guest houses of the Public Works Department for tourists.
Chairing the review meeting with tourism officials, the minister said that after closure of the Char Dham shrines, the deity of Gangotri resides during the winters in Mukhba, the deity of Yamunotri in Kharsali, the deity of Kedarnath in Ukhimath and the deity of Badrinath in Joshimath and Pandukeshwar. Considering this, the focus of the State government is to encourage tourism in these winter abodes of the deities. For this purpose, attention is being paid to providing necessary facilities for pilgrims in these destinations. The Tourism minister also enquired about the status of the record number of pilgrims undertaking the Char Dham Yatra this year being recorded in the Guinness book of world records and the Limca book of records. It will be recalled that the Char Dham Yatra was held this year without any restrictions after a gap of two years when it was hampered due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The minister said that so far about 42 lakh people have visited the Char Dham shrines. By the time of the closure of the Char Dham shrines to the public for the winters, the total number of visitors is expected to rise further to about 45 lakh. Due to the record number of visitors this year, those involved in various types of businesses have been able to make up for the losses incurred during the past two years. He directed that special focus should be laid on sanitation in tourist accommodations and that hotels should be categorised so that tourists can choose hotels according to the requirement. He also directed officials to publicise Timmersain Mahadev in the Niti valley akin to Amarnath where pilgrims will be able to visit. The minister further said that the initial survey for the 9.7 kilometre ropeway from Sonprayag to Kedarnath has been completed and work on it will also be started soon.
