Uttarakhand’s Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has ordered the lifting of the limit on the number of pilgrims allowed to take part in the Chardham Yatra, as per an official communication from the Additional Chief Secretary on Friday. The letter said that the process of online and offline registration will remain the same in order to keep track of the devotees.
On Friday, the Panchmukhi Utsav Doli of Baba Kedarnath left Ukhimath for the Himalayas after its winter stay, with thousands of devotees gathering at the Omkareshwar temple. The Bardoli reached the Gupta Kashi Vishwanath temple, spending its first night there, before proceeding to Kedarnath on April 24.
The Char Dham Yatra is set to start on April 22, coinciding with the auspicious occasion of Akshay Tritiya. The Kedarnath Dham will open on April 25, and the Gangotri Dham on April 22.
Ahead of the pilgrimage, the Secretary of the Uttarakhand health department, Dr R Rajesh Kumar, released a health advisory for the pilgrims on Wednesday. On Thursday, Dhami also participated in the mock exercise programme organised by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) for the Char Dham Yatra-2023, assuring that the state government has made all the necessary preparations.
“On the occasion, Chief Minister Dhami also did a virtual observation of the mock exercise being done for disaster management on the Char Dham Yatra routes,” an official statement read.