The carrying capacity of Char Dhams should be fixed in a transparent manner on time
The carrying capacity should not be determined only on the basis of the number of rooms available in Char Dhams and the parking capacity
Dehradun
Recently, after the Joshimath landslide the issue of carrying capacity of hill towns is being raised loudly. The matter of carrying capacity is also applicable to the Char Dhams of the state.
Last year in 2022, the number of pilgrims visiting the Char Dhams everyday was fixed while determining the carrying capacity of the Dhams.
But this was announced just two days before the commencement of the yatra.
In such a situation, chaos had arisen in the initial days of the Yatra and the devotees had to face a lot of difficulties during the process of registration.
Now that the date of April 27 has been fixed for the opening of the portals of Badrinath Dham in the year 2023, it is necessary that this time the situation like last year doesn’t arise and devotees don’t reach there in numbers, more than their carrying capacity in the Char Dhams. It is also necessary that transparency should be maintained on the basis on which the carrying capacity was determined.
Dehradun-based SDC Foundation Founder Anoop Nautiyal said that last year in 2022, the opening of the portals for the Char Dhams started on May 3.
Just two days before this on May 1, the carrying capacity of the Char Dhams was declared.
In the initial phase, the number of devotees was fixed at 38,000 in the Char Dhams. With the change, a few days later, 16,000 pilgrims were allowed to visit Badrinath, 13,000 in Kedarnath, 8,000 in Gangotri and 5,000 in Yamunotri, totaling 42,000 pilgrims. Devotees were allowed to only proceed for the Yatra after proper registration.
According to Anoop Nautiyal, this process which came just before the commencement of the Yatra had created a massive situation of chaos.
Many devotees who had reached Uttarakhand had to face a lot of difficulty in completing the registration. He said that the number of devotees who reach the Dhams every day should be decided by the end of March 2023 so that lakhs of devotees who come for the Yatra are able to register in advance and do not face problems.
According to Anoop Nautiyal, the carrying capacity should not be determined only on the basis of the number of rooms available in the Dhams and the parking capacity.
Carrying capacity depends on topography, geology, environmental components and many other factors.
It is not just the total number of hotel and dharamshala rooms or car parking facilities.
The Government of Uttarakhand should determine the carrying capacity in the entire state by following a scientific method said Nautical, founder SDC.
The responsibility of determining the carrying capacity should not be given to the district administration or the police he added.
They are neither technically competent nor have the bandwidth to conduct carrying capacity analysis said Anoop Nautical of SDC.
According to him, there is a need for a special and technically sound team or force which can scientifically determine the carrying capacity of the shrines.
Founder if SDC Foundation Anoop Nautiyal also emphasised on the need to increase health capacity on the Char Dhams.
He said that while last year the number of pilgrims was record-breaking, the death toll of more than 300 pilgrims was also the highest till date.
One method to reduce fatalities along with improving health services is to ensure that each pilgrim is asked to acclimatize for a day before reaching the Dhams. He said that pilgrims from South India or areas like Mumbai reach Kedarnath or Yamunotri in a single day, then suddenly reaching such a height many pilgrims face health problems, particularly due to less oxygen and already being suffering from cardiac ailments, asthma or other diseases.
In such a situation, if people stay in a lower area for a day before reaching the holy abodes then their body will get some time to adapt to this environment.
This can reduce the number of deaths due to heart attack or other problems.
