The Uttarakhand government will review the existing carrying capacities of the four Chardham Shrines in view of the rush of pilgrims in the state to evolve a proper system of crowd management.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami asked state officials to prepare an action plan after a detailed review of the carrying capacities of the premises of the Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri premises, select halting points and roads en route to the four temples.
The chief minister’s instruction came against the backdrop of the state administration’s preparedness going haywire in the wake of a massive flow of devotees in these shrines in the first fortnight of the pilgrimage.
Dhami said, “The number of devotees bound for Chardham Yatra is bound to increase at higher rates with every passing year. The state government will assess the carrying capacities of the Chardham temple areas as well as the places along the Yatra routes that are major halting suburbs for the pilgrims. This will help the state government plan the regulation of traffic on the hills in a better way and crow management in the future.”
He said this while reviewing the administration’s existing preparedness for the Chardham Yatra in Garhwal and Manaskhand Temple Mala Mission, Kainchidham, and Purnagiri at temples in Kumaon.
It’s to be noted here that the Uttarakhand Tourism Department had to cap the pilgrim footfall this season within a week of the start of the pilgrimage in May. The decision was taken after assessing the carrying capacities of the four temple premises. According to the plan, a maximum of 18,000 pilgrims could be allowed in Badrinath, 13,000 in Kedarnath, 8,000 in Gangotri, and 5,000 pilgrims in Yamunotri with the least carrying capacity.
However, the government is now pondering on increasing the carrying capacities of the shrines enhancing facilities and resources for the tourists in these places, informed officials. The officials said the carrying capacity revision plan is mainly aimed at preventing the recurrence of the chaotic situation faced by the state administration in the first fortnight of this pilgrimage season even as it’s yet to come under control fully.
The Dhami government also plans to develop basic facilities including parking at strategically important locations of the pilgrimage routes and other tourist places in the state.