Offline registration for Char Dham yatra suspended amid surge in devotees, clogged roads

It was also decided that devotees who entered Uttarakhand without registration for the yatra be sent to other religious spots in the state if they wanted to visit them.

The Chief Minister also directed officials to analyse any shortcomings in the Char Dham Yatra arrangements and management over the last 10 days, and to make the required changes. He instructed Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) Anand Bardhan to prepare a weekly report.

Meanwhile, the Uttarakhand Health Department, in collaboration with the Wadhwani Initiative for Sustainable Healthcare (WISH) Foundation, has announced the launch of “eSwasthya Dham”, an initiative aimed at enhancing healthcare and monitoring systems for pilgrims undertaking the Char Dham Yatra. Integrated with the existing Char Dham Registration Portal on the tourism site, this platform is aimed at allowing pilgrims convenient access to their medical records.

There will also be screening points on the Char Dham route, where people can undergo health assessments, and the results will be updated on the “eSwasthya Dham” web app. Chief Secretary Radha Raturi said it was mandatory for Char Dham pilgrims over 50 years of age to undergo the health screening.

Char Dham Yatra has broken records this year since the doors of Shri Kedarnath Dham were opened on May 10. Within 11 days, the number of visitors set a record at 3.19 lakh. Also, a record 37,480 devotees visited on Monday.

More than 1.38 lakh devotees have already visited Yamunori Dham, over 1.25 lakh have visited Gangotri Dham, and 1.39 lakh devotees have visited the Badrinath Dham during this year’s yatra.