Rishikesh: Despite heavy rains and landslides blocking the Char Dham routes in Uttarakhand for several days, which significantly reduced the number of pilgrims, the situation is improving. Post-monsoon, online registrations for the yatra are now on the rise, with 5,000 registrations per day. Expectantly, the pilgrimage for all the four shrines will pick up pace again after September 15.
As monsoon is expected to slow down mid-September, on an average, 5,000 online registrations are being completed daily for the second phase of the Char Dham Yatra. According to the Tourism Department, an average of 5,000 people are registering online daily for the yatra. This is the reason; the pilgrimage is expected to resume in full swing after the monsoon season ends on September 15.
So far, 33 lakh pilgrims have visited the four Dhams
Over 33 lakh pilgrims have visited the four Dhams so far. Although the Char Dham Yatra was halted due to landslides during the monsoon season, pilgrims from across India and the world are now registering online for the second phase. According to data from the disaster control room, since the Char Dham Yatra began on May 10 this year, 928,256 people have visited Badrinath, 1,101,338 have visited Kedarnath (the highest footfall), 612,270 have visited Gangotri, and 528,332 have visited Yamunotri.
Cloudburst incident severely affected Kedarnath yatra
After a cloudburst incident in Kedarnath valley on 31 July, the 19km long trek route was severely damaged at 29 places which hugely affected the Kedarnath shrine pilgrimage. Now, the path has been repaired, yet the situation is not normalised like before. The Yatra will continue until October and November. Currently, all four shrines are open, but the rains have reduced the number of visitors. According to the Char Dham Yatra administration’s daily report, fewer than 500 pilgrims visit Kedarnath Dham daily, while around 1,500 devotees visit Badrinath Dham each day. This year, around 66 people have lost their lives in disasters in Uttarakhand and 31 were badly injured. More than 2838 roads were also affected halting traffic in various parts of the state.
