By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 8 Feb: The Uttarakhand Char Dham Yatra is set to commence on 30 April this year. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has directed adequate preparations to ensure a smooth yatra for the pilgrims. In this regard, the state government has intensified preparations. The Public Works Department (PWD) and Disaster Management Department have begun working towards completing necessary arrangements for the upcoming Yatra season well in time.
It may be recalled that last year, heavy rains in June had caused significant damage to the Kedarnath trek route during the Yatra season. The PWD is currently repairing this route. PWD Secretary Pankaj Kumar Pandey has shared that although the trek route had been repaired to the extent last year to allow pilgrims to pass from there, additional work was required to fully repair the trek route and was approved. The work in this would begin as soon as the snow is cleared, he asserted. This includes installing railings and widening certain sections of the route.
Pandey also reminded that a new trek route from Rambara to Garud Chatti has also been approved after receiving permission from the Forest Department. While work on this had begun last year itself but could not be completed in time for then ongoing Char Dham Yatra. He stated that the department aims to finish the remaining work well before this year’s Yatra starts. Once completed, two trek routes would be available between Rambara and Garud Chatti, and they would be used as one-way routes.
Pandey also claimed that continuous road improvements are being made to provide better facilities for this year’s pilgrims as compared to last year. Work is ongoing in various parts of the Char Dham Yatra routes, including fixing slide zones in the Chamoli area where NHIDCL was working. These patches would be repaired before the Yatra begins, he added.
In Uttarkashi, the BRO route from Uttarkashi to Gangotri is also set for a major renovation as soon as the temperature stabilizes. NHIDCL is also repairing the road from Dharasu to Barkot and working on parts of the Kedarnath Dham bridge route. The Additional Secretary, PWD, has been instructed to visit the Chamoli and Rudraprayag areas next week to address any immediate roadwork needs.
At the same time, Disaster Management Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman stated that preparations are being made to effectively deal with issues during a disaster. Planned measures include preventing traffic jams and stopping pilgrims in advance if the road is blocked. Suman added that the response time for clearing obstructions will be minimised, similar to the preparations made in 2024.
