The Uttarakhand government has decided against allowing VIP darshan in the first month of the Chardham pilgrimage for Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri starting on April 1.
Following a directive from Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, the state administration has decided not to allow VIP darshan in the first 30 days of the pilgrimage as it often impairs traffic and crowd management in the Chardham shrines. Sharing information on the government’s decision, Garhwal Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey said that the state government will make extensive security arrangements for Chardham pilgrims coming to the state this season. He said adequate security forces would be deployed en route to all the four shrines and Hemkunt Sahib Gurdwara.
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“This season, heavy security arrangements are being made for crowd control in the shrines. VIP darshan will not be allowed for the first month of the Yatra as part of the government’s crowd control measures. This decision was taken as common pilgrims often face problems when their movement is kept on hold for VIP darshan protocol, resulting in crowding and traffic chaos,” Pandey said.
“This decision was also taken in view of the expectation that this season will witness a huge influx of pilgrims to the Chardham shrines. Footfalls may be record-breaking. However, the administration will take some decisions based on the circumstances. VIP darshan can be reconsidered if the administration finds that the pilgrimage crowd is less. This season, police and other mobile security teams will be deployed every 10 kilometres on the Chardham routes,” Bansidhar Tiwari, additional secretary and Director General of Information, Uttarakhand, said.
According to the officials, the government will also arrange free food and retiring facilities for pilgrims this season. Tiwari further said that pilgrimage preparations will be reviewed by the government again within five days of its commencement on April 5. It’s notable that the Chardham pilgrimage for the four shrines in Uttarakhand will begin with the opening of the portals of the Gangotri and Yamunotri temples on April 1.
