SDC Urges Govt to Focus on Safe and Sustainable Yatra Management Instead of Celebrating Record Numbers

192 Days and 28 Weeks of Detailed Data with 14 Graphs

Mid-term Report on 100 Days Submitted Earlier to Chief Secretary

Dehradun

Social Development for Communities (SDC) Foundation, an organization focused on climate change, environment, urbanization, and waste management in Uttarakhand, has released a report on the Char Dham Yatra 2024 titled Pathways to Pilgrimage: Data Insights, Challenges, and Opportunities. The report was launched during a press conference held at the Press Club, Dehradun.

While releasing the report, Anoop Nautiyal, the founder of SDC Foundation, highlighted the key insights presented in the 66-page detailed report. The report underscores 10 major findings from the Yatra and provides new assessments regarding the annual pilgrimage.

It includes data on the number of pilgrims visiting each of the four shrines over the 192 days, as well as 14 key graphs highlighting significant trends. The report also features a special analysis of media documentation and provides recommendations for simplifying the registration process for pilgrims.

The report presents 10 major assessments based on the data collected during the Yatra. For example, 41% of pilgrims completed the Char Dham Yatra within the first 30 days from May 10 to June 8, while the remaining 59% visited the four shrines over the next five months.

Further breakdown shows that from Day 31 to Day 60, 22% of pilgrims visited while from Day 61 to Day 90, 5% visited the Char Dhams. Similarly, from Day 91 to Day 120, 3% visited; from Day 121 to Day 150, 12% visited; from Day 151 to Day 180, 15% visited while the remaining 3% visited between Day 181 and Day 192, when the Yatra concluded.

One important finding of the report is that the second week of the pilgrimage, from May 17 to May 23, was the busiest. During this one week of the 28-week long Yatra, a total of 563,292 pilgrims visited the Char Dhams, accounting for 12% of the total pilgrims for the entire Yatra.

The report also notes that the Kedarnath Yatra was most affected during August. Following the disaster on July 31, no pilgrims could visit Kedarnath from August 1 to August 10. During the month of August, only 7,418 pilgrims visited Kedarnath, with a significant dip in numbers during the first half of the month

The report outlines several challenges that have arisen as the Char Dham Yatra has expanded in recent years. It highlights issues such as overcrowding, safety concerns, and environmental degradation along the Yatra routes.

The report emphasizes that the focus of the state government should shift from celebrating record-breaking numbers to ensuring that the Yatra is managed in a way that protects both the pilgrims and the environment. This includes safeguarding the health and safety of pilgrims, preserving local ecosystems, and supporting the communities dependent on these sacred sites.

The report offers 10 key recommendations for ensuring safe and well-managed pilgrimages. These include focusing on sustainable management rather than just celebrating record numbers and carefully paying attention to the carrying capacity of the shrines. The report highlights the need for enhancing disaster management preparations, especially during road closures and for simplifying the registration process for pilgrims.

It calls upon the government to improve healthcare facilities on Yatra routes and explore opportunities for revenue enhancement. It further recommends the need for extensive stakeholder consultation and establishment of a Yatra authority. It concludes the set of recommendations with inputs regarding the winter Char Dham Yatra and protecting the interests of local communities.

Anoop Nautiyal specifically addressed the violation of carrying capacity principles in the management of the Yatra. He expressed deep concerns regarding the deteriorating disaster management situation along the Yatra route and stressed that the state government must take immediate steps to build resilience into the Yatra’s infrastructure and planning.

He also expressed gratitude to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) for instructing the state government to conduct a Carrying Capacity Study of the Char Dham shrines.

Anoop commended this step, calling it crucial for the long-term sustainability and effective management of the Char Dham Yatra.

Emphasising on simplifying registrations the report includes a special feature on simplifying the registration process for pilgrims. It highlights that the current registration system is so complicated that not only ordinary pilgrims but even computer experts face difficulties. This discourages common people, particularly those from rural and tribal communities, from participating in the Yatra.

To address this issue, the report suggests several measures, including reducing the number of required fields in the online registration process, introducing online registration and helpline services, and allowing group registrations instead of individual ones.

Additionally, while registration typically starts in April, the report proposes that for the Char Dham Yatra 2025, the registration process could begin on February 26 on Mahashivaratri, when the date for the opening of the Kedarnath shrine is decided. For the Badrinath Yatra in 2025, the opening date is expected to be fixed on February 2, during Basant Panchami, and for Yamunotri and Gangotri, the opening date is expected to be April 30, 2025, on Akshaya Tritiya.

Media Documentation and Analysis

A key section of the SDC Foundation report deals with media documentation and analysis. It suggests that the government should also consider documenting issues raised in media reports.

Based on these media reports, the report identifies 10 key concerns, including: mismanagement during the Yatra, overcrowding and exceeding carrying capacity, problems faced by pilgrims due to traffic jams, pilgrim protests due to issues with registration, operation of helicopter services without adequate rescue management, carrying capacity in high Himalayan regions and waste management issues

Mid-term Report Submitted to Chief Secretary

Anoop Nautiyal mentioned that earlier they had submitted a “Data Analysis of 100 Days – Uttarakhand Char Dham Yatra 2024 Mid-Term Report” to the Chief Secretary. The Foundation had released this report after the first 100 days of the Char Dham Yatra in 2024.

The mid-term report primarily highlighted issues of mismanagement and violations of carrying capacity. The purpose of submitting this report was to draw attention to these problems and encourage better management for the Char Dham Yatra in the future.

Anoop also mentioned that the Chief Secretary found the report constructive, and the report was forwarded to the relevant tourism department officials.

The press conference was attended by Praveen Upreti and Diya Jain from the SDC Foundation. Special thanks were extended to Naveen Mohan for his work on the registration feature and to Rishabh Srivastava for preparing the report.