Garhwal Commissioner and IG hold review meeting regarding travel arrangements for Kedarnath Dham
Commissioner Garhwal Division Shri Vinay Shankar Pandey and IG Garhwal Shri Rajiv Swaroop held a review meeting in the District Office Auditorium, Rudraprayag with the travel arrangement nodal officers, concerned departmental officers, local public representatives and officials of the Chamber of Commerce regarding the travel arrangements for Shri Kedarnath Dham.
The Commissioner reviewed the Yatra arrangements and gave necessary guidelines. District Magistrate Rudraprayag Shri Vishal Mishra, while apprising the Garhwal Commissioner about the Yatra operations situation, said that till now more than 3 lakh devotees have visited Baba. Medical facilities have been provided to more than 31 thousand devotees and more than 11 thousand devotees have used heli services. Apart from this, a large number of devotees have travelled by horse-mule and dandi-kandi.
He stated that continuous monitoring is being done through the Yatra Control Room, adequate availability of gas cylinders has been ensured, all hospitals are fully functional, and a Mule Task Force is deployed. More than 8,000 horses and mules have been registered and insured. Blacklisting action is being taken for violations of prescribed standards, and encroaching camps have been removed. Regular health checkups and random checks are also being conducted, ensuring the availability of veterinary hospitals.
Adequate toilets have been provided along the pilgrimage route, and changing rooms for men and women have been provided at the Taptkund in Gaurikund. Information regarding electricity, drinking water, solar lighting, streetlights, and shuttle services was also provided.
Superintendent of Police Niharika Tomar provided detailed information on the pilgrimage route plan, traffic arrangements, parking, and emergency services.
Superintendent of Police Niharika Tomar provided detailed information about the Yatra route plan, traffic arrangements, parking, and emergency services.
The Commissioner directed that toilets be cleaned regularly, adequate personnel be deployed, and cleaning materials and water be available. He also directed that the Sector Magistrate conduct random toilet checks, emphasizing that cleanliness is a top priority during the Yatra.
He directed regular monitoring of misleading news related to the pilgrimage and directed the concerned departments to immediately issue their views so that rumors can be effectively stopped.
While giving instructions to ensure that tickets for helicopter services are sold at the prescribed rates, he said that strict action should be taken if any complaint of arbitrary ticket sales or collection is received. Instructions were also given to implement a special plan for crowd control at the registration counter in Sonprayag.
The Commissioner held a meeting with local public representatives and members of the Chamber of Commerce and obtained necessary information regarding the smooth conduct of the Kedarnath Dham Yatra. Kedarnath MLA Mrs. Asha Nautiyal raised various issues related to the Yatra, calling for the asphalting of the Tuna-Bautha motor road, construction of a parking lot at Tungnath-Chopta, toilet facilities, and the installation of signboards on major temple routes.
The Commissioner stated that he had inspected the road from Rishikesh to Rudraprayag, finding the road in satisfactory condition at most locations, and issued instructions for improvements at necessary locations. An amount of ₹5 lakh has been allocated to the Superintendent of Police, Rudraprayag, for the purchase of fire safety equipment at Kedarnath Dham.
For security reasons, passenger vehicles and pedestrian traffic will be completely prohibited on the pilgrimage route from 10:00 pm to 4:00 am. Only transportation of essential goods will be permitted.
He stated that he would conduct a field inspection of Sonprayag and Gaurikund and interact with pilgrims. A walk to Kedarnath Dham is also proposed if the weather permits. He clarified that VIP darshan will not be permitted under any circumstances.
The District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police have been instructed to halt the Yatra for 2-3 hours depending on the situation. In this regard, the Yatra was halted for a short time today as well.
On this occasion, District Panchayat President Smt. Poonam Kathayat, Block Head Agastyamuni Smt. Bhuvaneshwari Devi, District Panchayat Members Shri Amit Mainkhandi, Shri Jaivardhan Kandpal, Municipal Council President Rudraprayag Shri Santosh Rawat, CDO Shri Rajendra Singh Rawat, ADM Shri Shyam Singh Rana, SDM Ukhimath Shri Anil Rawat, CMO Dr. Ram Prakash, CVO Dr. Ashish Rawat, EE NH Shri Omkar Pandey, District Tourism Officer Shri Rahul Choubey, DDO Anita Panwar, along with officers of various departments were present.
