By OUR STAFF REPORTER
Chamoli, 13 Nov: Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited Badrinath Dham, where he offered prayers to Lord Badri Vishal and sought prosperity and peace for the state and the nation.
The Chief Minister stated that the pilgrimage season is now in its final stages, but even at this time, a large number of devotees from across the country continue to visit Baba Badri Vishal. He mentioned that, over the past two to three years, the number of pilgrims has steadily increased, and there will be a record rise in the number of visitors in the coming years. He attributed this growth to the efforts being made under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, especially with the rapid progress of the master plan for Badrinath Dham. He assured that the temple will take on a grander form in the future. The government is also working to improve the overall pilgrimage experience every year. He said that a state-level pilgrimage authority is being established, and a system will be developed for managing the travel arrangements across all shrines, ensuring proper management and monitoring of pilgrim numbers.
During his visit, the Chief Minister also met with the priests, members of the traders’ association, and hotel association officials at the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) office. He listened to their concerns and assured them of solutions. The priests, traders, and hotel associations expressed satisfaction with the ongoing pilgrimage arrangements. The Chief Minister also interacted with the pilgrims and gathered feedback on the travel arrangements.
The meeting was attended by BKTC Vice Chairman Kishore Pawar, CEO Vijay Prasad Thapliyal, SDM, Joshimath, Chandersekhar Vasisht, SDM, Chamoli, Rajkumar Pandey, and other officials.
