As the arrangements for the Char Dham pilgrimage began this year, challenges quickly arose. When images of long traffic jams from Yamunotri surfaced, it sparked widespread discussion and left the government sweating. The Tourism Department is under scrutiny and Secretary Sachin Kurve is notably absent from the entire sequence of events. To assess the situation personally, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami took charge at ground zero last Friday.
Chief Minister Dhami arrived in Barkot, an important stopover in Yamunotri Dham. After landing in Barkot by helicopter, Dhami traveled to Pālī Gāṛav, and there he met with the pilgrims. The pilgrims, delighted to have Dhami among them, erupted in joy. During the visit, Dhami also boarded the pilgrims' bus to learn about their welfare. Near Pālī Gāṛav Barrier, the Chief Minister boarded a bus and, after interacting with the pilgrims, he also posed for photographs.
Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami had 7 meetings regarding Char Dham-
-On the 4th of May, a review meeting was conducted in Dehradun about forest fires and Char Dham. -On the 8th of May, CM Dhami held a review meeting in Rudraprayag. -On the 11th of May, he conducted a virtual meeting; on the 13th, a meeting through video conference. -On the 14th of May, another video conference meeting was held, followed by a meeting in Dehradun on the 16th of May. -On the 17th of May, another meeting took place in Dehradun.
Such was the turnout of devotees last year
In 2023, the gates of Gangotri and Yamunotri opened on April 22. Meanwhile, the gates of Kedarnath and Badrinath opened on April 25 and April 27, respectively. As of April 4, 2023, a total of 352,087 pilgrims had visited all four sites, including 71,846 in Yamunotri, 82,708 in Gangotri, 122,996 in Kedarnath, and 74,546 in Badrinath. Last year, there was opposition regarding these numbers.
A significant increase in the number of devotees this year
This year, the gates of Kedarnath, Yamunotri, and Gangotri opened on May 10, while the gates of Badrinath opened on May 12. In just 7 days since, over 410,000 pilgrims have visited Char Dham. Kedarnath alone has witnessed 183,000 visitors. Badrinath has had 12,231 visitors so far, Yamunotri has welcomed over 83,000, and more than 73,000 have visited Gangotri.
Comparing 2023 to 2024, there's been an increase of over 60% in the number of visitors to Char Dham. Currently, the biggest challenge is managing the pilgrimage route, which includes traffic and arrangements for devotees' darshan (viewing). The government has reported 11 deaths so far, making health check-ups another significant challenge.
