No registration for local people for Char Dham Yatra: Uttarakhand CM

The CM also called for the promotion of local products during the pilgrimage, an idea mooted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Information about products of the state should be made available to the general public,” said Dhami.

He directed the tourism, police, and transport departments to run awareness campaigns on major religious and tourist places. The step is to ensure that the devotees coming to the state also visit other major religious and tourist places. The state government is also planning to appoint some locals as “travel friends” to help the devotees.

Himalayan pilgrimage centres of Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath are collectively called Char Dham. The high-altitude shrines remain shut for around six months every year, opening in summers (April or May) and closing with the onset of winter (October or November). The pilgrimage starts from Yamunotri, proceeds towards Gangotri, onto Kedarnath, and finally ends at Badrinath.