From July 1, the yatra will be opened for locals from the three districts — Chamoli, Rudraprayag and Uttarkashi — where the four Himalayan shrines are located. In the second phase beginning July 11, the yatra will be opened for people across the state
Char Dham Yatra will be held in two phases beginning July 1, said the Uttarakhand government, even as it extended the Covid lockdown till June 29. The state will come out with a detailed standard operating procedure (SOP) for the yatra soon, said the government on Sunday.
From July 1, the yatra will be opened for locals from the three districts — Chamoli, Rudraprayag and Uttarkashi — where the four Himalayan shrines are located. Kedarnath shrine will be open for people in Rudraprayag district, Badrinath will be open for people in Chamoli district, and Yamunotri and Gangotri shrines will be open for people in Uttarkashi district.
In the second phase beginning July 11, the yatra will be opened for people across the state. Pilgrims will have to register themselves on the online portal and bring negative RT-PCR report with them.
On June 16, the Uttarakhand high court directed the state government to file a report before it regarding its decision to open Char Dham Yatra, different phases in which it will be done, and the preparations in place to ensure that the SOPs issued by Centre and the state government are adhered to.
On April 29, the state government had postponed the yatra, which was scheduled to start on May 14, amid a spike in Covid cases. Following the decision, only portals of these shrines were opened for ritual worship by the local priests.
