Char Dham Yatra Will be Conducted Safely: Uttarakhand CM Dhami Assures Pilgrims Amid Concerns Over Joshimath Land Sinking

Char Dham Yatra: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has assured pilgrims that no one should have any doubts and fears in their mind about the Joshimath land sinking crisis and the Char Dham Yatra will be conducted safely.

Dehradun: Amid concerns over the land sinking crisis in the holy town of Joshimath, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has assured that the upcoming Char Dham Yatra will be conducted safely. Talking to reporters in Raiwala near Rishikesh on the concluding day of the Pradesh BJP's executive committee meeting on Monday, CM Dhami said no one should have any doubts in their mind about Joshimath, the gateway to Badrinath.

"I have repeatedly said that 70 per cent of people in Joshimath are living a normal life and the roads to nearby Badrinath and Auli are fully open. Char Dham yatra will be conducted absolutely safely like before. A record number of pilgrims came for the yatra in the last season. This year too all arrangements will be made for pilgrims," CM Dhami said.

Efforts will also be made at the party level to lift people's spirit, he said. He also criticised the Congress for raising the issue of Joshimath during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, saying the party is highlighting the issue in a different way during the yatra to tarnish the state's image outside. "The opposition is starved of issues," he said.

On Joshimath residents demanding to scrap of development projects holding them responsible for the Joshimath crisis, Dhami said some people under the influence of some forces are doing this. "Scrapping all development projects is no solution. It is not good either for the state or for the country. But yes, a balance between economy and ecology will be maintained while taking up development projects," he said.

Saving Joshimath, maintaining its identity as a culturally, religiously and strategically important town and rehabilitating the affected people properly is the state government's commitment, Dhami said.

Meanwhile, Chamoli District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana has suggested three options for the settlement of the displaced people in land subsidence-hit Joshimath town of Uttarakhand. Khurana, who heads a committee working on a settlement plan for Joshimath, submitted his recommendations to a high-powered panel chaired by Additional Chief Secretary Anand Vardhan here.

As part of the Char Dham Yatra, the sacred portals of Shri Badrinath Dham will open on April 27 (Thursday). Located in the Garhwal hill tracks in Chamoli district along the banks of the Alaknanda River, Badrinath Temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The portals of the Badrinath Temple were closed during the winter. The gates will be opened at around 7 AM on April 27, the Badri-Kedar Temple Committee said. It also informed that the ‘Gaadu Ghada Kalash Yatra’ would begin on April 12.

The committee informed that the gates will be opened with proper customs and traditions. The shrine is one of the four ancient pilgrimage sites referred to as ‘Char Dham’ which also includes Yamunotri, Gangotri and Kedarnath. It is situated in the town of Badrinath in Uttarakhand. It remains open for six months every year (between the end of April and the beginning of November).