Char Dham Yatra SOPs: Now, there won’t be a mandatory e-pass for pilgrims. Only, pilgrims coming from outside states will have to register only on the Dehradun Smart City Portal
The Uttarakhand High Court has made a major announcement on Wednesday on Char Dham Yatra 2021. The High Court has removed the daily limit on the number of devotees that can visit the Char Dhams of the state– Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri. Now, there won’t be a mandatory e-pass for pilgrims. Only, pilgrims coming from outside states will have to register only on the Dehradun Smart City Portal.
However, a division bench of Chief Justice R S Chauhan and Justice Alok Kumar Verma said every person, visiting the pilgrimages, will have to carry a negative coronavirus test report and a vaccination certificate with them.
The Covid negative test report is mandatory for pilgrims who have taken single dose of vaccine or have not taken any. The tests should have been conducted within 72 hours of the Char Dham yatra. In case of people who produce a vaccination certificate, the SOP requires that at least 15 days should have passed after receiving their second dose.
Earlier, the Uttarakhand High Court had put a cap on devotees visiting the temples. The HC had earlier fixed the maximum number of devotees that can visit the temples daily at 1,000 for Badrinath, 800 for Kedarnath, 600 for Gangotri, and 400 for Yamunotri. Apart from fixing the daily limit, the High Court had also banned bathing in any reservoir or spring located around the shrines.
However, the state government filed an affidavit in the High Court, requesting it to amend its earlier order to increase the number of pilgrims visiting the Himalayan shrines.
It was also stated in the application that all guidelines laid down by the court in the previous order are being followed.
The government told the court that all necessary arrangements have been made available in the four dhams.
