The heavy influx of tourists to the holy Char Dham Yatra has brought unprecedented mayhem to the arrangements made by the administration for the pilgrims. 45-kilometer-long queues were witnessed on the route, with people locked up in their vehicles for more than 24 hours.
it took 16 days for 1.30 lakh pilgrims to visit Char Dham Yarta last year. This year, a similar number of pilgrims are there in just four days. This heavy concentration of people in a short time is the major cause of the worsening of the situation.
The situation is grave at Gangotri and Yamunotri. There are long queues visible on both sides of the 170-kilometer-long route from Haridwar to Barkot on the way to Gangotri and Yamunotri. The 30-kilometer Uttarkashi route is also jam-packed.
Around 7,000 pilgrims from Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan have abandoned the pilgrimage midway due to the dire situation. The price of drinking water and food items has gone up. Even for the use of toilets, people are charging around 100 rupees.
The Gujarat government is in active mode, with in-charge chief secretary Sunaina Tomar contacting authorities in the hill state to ensure the well-being of pilgrims from Gujarat. The Chief Minister has also instructed the administration to make the necessary arrangements for stranded pilgrims from Gujarat and facilitate their journey back home.
The Char Dham Yatra, one of the most popular religious tourism destinations, consists of a visit to four sacred sites in Uttarakhand — Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath, up in the Himalayas.
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