Uttarakhand Chardham Yatra

Chardham Yatra in Uttarakhand has been traditionally known as one of the holiest journeys for Hindus. A trip to Char Dham is believed to wash away all sins and purify the soul which is why lakhs of people from India and even abroad travel to Uttarakhand from travelling to the Char Dhams. However even holy places are sometimes not spared from the fury of nature. There was a catastrophe back in 2013 which resulted in devastating loss of life and limb in Uttarakhand. Since then there has been a lot of speculation in the country about the safety and the ability of the infrastructure of Uttarakhand to withstand the pressure of tourist flow for holy Chardham Yatra. However the good news is that Uttarakhand has redeveloped and strengthened its facilities in the following ways.

Refurbished Facilities for Char Dham Yatra

Multiple entry points to the state of Uttarakhand including airports, railway stations, highways and state bus stops have been strengthened and biometric registration facilities have been installed at these points.

New base camps (total 5 in number), waypoint amenity center (48 in number) and seven strengthened Ghats have been built for the facility of tourists.

12 special night shelters have been developed for accommodating the tourist flow. To cope with tourist flow to erstwhile vulnerable area Kedarnath a specific task force has been developed which oversees the Kedarnath route via Bhimbhali. Policemen and specially trained members of Nehru Mountaineering Institute are working under direct supervision of Rudraprayag magistrate. The force has been specially trained to deal with emergency situations and safety evacuations.

The Uttarakhand Government has made trade arrangements with private Helicopter operators to transport pilgrims to Kedarnath.

Press Releases Regarding Char Dham Yatra

The chief Minister of Uttarakhand Harish Rawat has given a statement that hoteliers will be given tax holiday for one year with respect to the holy Char Dham. this will encourage the hotel industry owners to provide low-cost accommodation and food to the pilgrims of the Char Dham.

According to the official count about 1.2 to 1.5 crore tourist’s travel to Uttarakhand and most of them are either adventure lovers or tourist pilgrims who have come to visit Char Dham.

There is a total allocated budget of about 300 crore for the fiscal year 2016-2017which includes provisions for further development and refurbishment. Uttarakhand is all set to build several new destinations and renewed facilities in the entire state for all the tourists. The CM has announced that a technologically advanced two-way ropeway will be provided for use and convenience of tourists who make Chardham Yatra more enjoyable and super comfortable.

Pilgrimage Dates for Char Dham

The dates for Hemkund Sahib, Yamnotri, Kedarnath and Gangotri have not been officially announced till now. However Badrinath Yatra dates have been announced and yatra will start from May.

Uttarakhand is now equipped with a three-tier protective system that can withstand more than 3 times the velocity of flood that had hit Uttarakhand in 2014. There is now nothing more to worry about when it comes to embarking on your spiritual journey to Char Dham.