Garhwal Post Bureau
Rudraprayag, 11 Aug: Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) Chairman Hemant Dwivedi today held a press conference at the district office of BJP here. He asserted that ensuring safe and orderly darshan for pilgrims remains the committee’s top priority and asserted that the Char Dham Yatra is continuing smoothly despite the ongoing monsoon.
Dwivedi shared that more than 30.62 lakh pilgrims have so far visited the Badrinath and Kedarnath shrines. Of these, 16,12,112 pilgrims have offered prayers at Badrinath Dham, while 14,50,116 have visited Kedarnath Dham. He said the temple committee has received more than Rs 74.50 crores in revenue from the two shrines so far, with around Rs 37 crores generated from Kedarnath Dham alone.
Dwivedi said special attention is being paid to making the arrangements within the temple premises more transparent. CCTV cameras would also be installed at Tungnath and other temples to strengthen monitoring and improve the overall management of temple premises. He also added that the probe in the donation theft is continuing and that several arrests have been made and no one responsible would be spared. The committee’s focus is to make the entire monitoring system more effective and transparent so that such a theft does not happen in future.
He said the committee is maintaining continuous coordination with local hak-hakuk holders, teerth purohits, the district administration and other concerned departments to ensure the smooth conduct of the Yatra. He also reminded that a Teerth Purohit Kalyan Kosh had also been constituted for the welfare of teerth purohits and other stakeholders associated with the temples.
Referring to the recent issue involving traditional drummers at Omkareshwar Temple in Ukhimath, Dwivedi said the matter has been resolved through dialogue with the bajigar dhol players and their protest has ended. He claimed that the committee is also working for the welfare of temporary employees associated with the temple administration.
The BKTC chairman said work for the conservation and development of temples under the committee’s jurisdiction is continuing. The second phase of work on the Kotha Bhawan at Omkareshwar Temple in Ukhimath would be started shortly, while efforts are also being made to take forward the renovation and restoration work at Tungnath Temple.
He said work to develop Triyuginarayan Temple as a wedding destination is also progressing. The initiative is aimed at developing the temple and its surrounding area while promoting it as an important religious and tourism destination.
Dwivedi said the committee would continue to focus on improving facilities for the pilgrims and also on ensuring the preservation of the religious and cultural heritage associated with the prominent temples under its jurisdiction. He said coordination among the temple committee, local stakeholders and government departments would remain central to ensure that pilgrims are provided safe, orderly and hassle-free darshan throughout the yatra season.
