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Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has yet again rolled back a decision under pressure. Just like it did last year, the Dhami government has decided to lift the daily cap on the number of devotees for the Chardham Yatra.
The rollback, announced on Friday, a day before the commencement of the pilgrimage, comes three months after land subsidence was reported in Joshimath – one of the main halts on the Yatra route. The subsidence was attributed largely to unregulated infrastructure development in the hilly area, and had forced evacuation of many people from their homes.
Earlier this year, the state government had announced a cap on daily visitors to Chardham shrines, citing better crowd management and the sensitive ecology of the region as reasons. For the Yamunotri shrine, the daily limit was set at 5,500 pilgrims; for Gangotri, 9,000; for Badrinath, 15,000; and for Kedarnath, 18,000.
This was met by protests from various stakeholders, such as traders along the route, temple priests, and travel and tour operators, who pleaded against the loss of their livelihoods.
On Friday, a day before the portals of Gangotri and Yamunotri were opened for devotees, Additional Chief Secretary Radha Raturi said that after “due consideration”, CM Dhami had decided to withdraw the daily cap.
The earlier cap estimated a total of 47,500 pilgrims per day, for the Yatra’s duration of six-seven months.
Last year, before the start of the Chardham Yatra on May 3, the Uttarakhand government had announced that a maximum of 15,000 pilgrims will be allowed daily at Badrinath, 12,000 at Kedarnath, 7,000 at Gangotri and 4,000 at Yamunotri. Eight days later, considering the huge number of pilgrims coming for Chardham, the government raised the daily limit to 16,000 in Badrinath, 13,000 in Kedarnath, 8,000 in Gangotri and 5,000 in Yamunotri.
However, as per sources in Kedarnath, with the Yatra happening for the first time after a gap of two years due to the Covid pandemic, close to 25,000 pilgrims on an average reached the shrine daily in May, the peak month. In all, over 46.15 lakh devotees are estimated to have visited the Chardham in 2022.
In her statement, Raturi added: “Instructions have also been given by CM Dhami that (both) the online and offline process of registration will continue as before… as this system has proved helpful in tracking the pilgrims.” On the control of crowds, she said: “Arrangements will be made at the local level, as per requirements.”
The priests comprising the Shri 5 Temple Committee Gangotri Dham (Himalaya) were prompt in expressing their thanks to Dhami, writing a letter of gratitude.
Earlier, directing state officials to ensure that every devotee visiting Uttarakhand “gets to complete the Chardham Yatra”, Dhami had announced that the locals doing the pilgrimage would not require mandatory registration. In effect, this means that the numbers will further swell.
With Central push, and against concerns raised by some ecologists, the Uttarakhand government has done a major revamp of the Chardham Yatra route, making it easier for pilgrims to visit the shrines and increasing their footfall.
Geologist S P Sati told The Indian Express that he fears the impact of large tourist numbers on the ecology of the region as the infrastructure was not sufficient to accommodate the influx.
“The roads are not in a very good condition. Considering the condition of Joshimath, I do not know how they will manage things and how feasible it will be. There will be traffic jams, the terrain is already sensitive,” Sati said. While adding that he understood the pressure the government was under, he pointed out that ultimately, it is the locals who bear the cost of such measures.
Joshimath, which saw land subsidence leading to cracks in houses, is a key transit point for tourists travelling to Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib. According to district Tourism Department officials, around 30% of the tourists visiting Badrinath halt at Joshimath during their journey.
Last year, to accommodate the heavy rush of tourists, the state government’s increase of daily visitor limit to the Badrinath shrine at 16,000 exceeded the area’s hotel capacity of around 12,000 tourists at a time. This year’s original cap was also higher than this, at 15,000.
Apart from the land subsidence, concerns have been expressed over cracks appearing in February on the road between J P Colony in Joshimath and Marwari on the Badrinath Highway. Dhami had announced then that a Border Roads Organisation team will be stationed in Joshimath to ensure the smooth conduct of the Shri Badrinath Yatra, and that any issues would be handled immediately.
Uttarakhand minister Satpal Maharaj informed Saturday that 16,89,496 yatris had registered since the process began on February 18 – including over 6 lakh for Kedarnath, 5.07 lakh for Badrinath, 3.07 lakh for Gangotri, 2.62 lakh for Yamunotri and over 11,000 for Hemkund Sahib.
Last year, the Chardham Yatra had also come under a cloud over the death of at least 74 pilgrims within the first month of the start of the pilgrimage. Most of the deaths were linked to cardiac arrest, and involved people above 60 years of age.
After the high number of deaths, the state government had started intense screening of the visitors, checking their blood pressure, sugar level, oxygen level and medical history. Those having a possible medical condition were recommended to not go ahead.
Earlier, the Dhami government had buckled under pressure over the Uttarakhand Char Dham Devasthanam Management Act, which was repealed towards the end of its last term following protests by priests to shrines coming under the control of a board.
