Char Dham Yatra: The Pushkar Singh Dhami-led Uttarakhand government has asked the health officials to collect the medical history of the pilgrims during the online registration process.
Char Dham Yatra: The Pushkar Singh Dhami-led Uttarakhand government has asked the health officials to collect the medical history of the pilgrims during the online registration process. The move is aimed to make sure that the ailing ones are provided healthcare during Char Dham yatra.
The Yatra is scheduled to begin from April 22. To recall, in 2022, the death toll of pilgrims during the Char Dham yatra which breached the 300 mark. According to a Hindustan Times report, Chief secretary SS Sandhu in a meeting held at the secretariat in Dehradun on Friday evening onsaid, “ The medical history of the pilgrims should be accounted for during the registration for Char Dham yatra and the medical staff should examine the health of the pilgrims above the age of 55 years while people below 55 who seem to be unwell should also be medically examined”.
State government has taken all precautionary measures to ensure a safe and smooth yatra including establishment of a disaster control room and permanent deployment of a BRO team in the town.
The Dhami government has also sent a proposal to the Union government to provide an air ambulance facility to airlift the ailing pilgrims to the higher medical centres without any time delay to mitigate the fatalities during the Char Dham yatra.
State health minister Dhan Singh Rawat said, “The government has completed preparations for the Char Dham Yatra that is starting from April 22 and the proposal for an air ambulance to airlift the injured and medical ailing pilgrims from Char Dham shrine to higher medical centres has been approved by the Union government.”
Char Dham Yatra: Key Details
- A record number of pilgrims are likely to arrive for the Char Dham yatra in Uttarakhand this season too.More than 80,000 pilgrims have registered already for the pilgrimage to Badrinath and Kedarnath
- Registration for the two Himalayan temples began on Tuesday while registration for Gangotri and Yamunotri will begin after the dates for the opening of their portals are announced formally.
- A record number of more than 47 lakh pilgrims had visited the Char Dham temples last year and the number is likely to increase this year, Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee Chairman Ajendra Ajay said.
- QR code system has been introduced for the first time for the annual yatra. A QR code will be sent on the mobile phone of pilgrims after registration on the basis of which they will get the tokens for visiting the temple
- Prior registration for the yatra will be mandatory not only for pilgrims coming from outside the state but also for those coming from within it
- To avoid chaos and overcrowding, which was evident in the initial days of the yatra last year, a daily limit may also be imposed on the number of pilgrims visiting the temples. However, the administration is yet to take a call on it
- A daily limit on the number of pilgrims visiting the temples particularly Badrinath is necessary especially in view of the land subsidence crisis in Joshimath, which is considered the gateway to the Himalayan temple.
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Disaster Management Control Room
In view of the conditions prevailing in Joshimath, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has directed the disaster management authority to open a disaster control room there to constantly monitor the situation during the yatra season.
He has also asked the BRO to station a team of its personnel permanently in the town to repair any new cracks in roads in case they develop.
Dhami has also asked the PWD to repair the potholes on the roads under its charge along the yatra route well before the pilgrimage begins in April.
There were reports of cracks appearing in a stretch of the national highway leading to Badrinath near Joshimath recently.
(With PTI Inputs)
