By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 4 Apr: With the Char Dham Yatra 2025 set to begin this month, the Uttarakhand Police have begun extensive and well-coordinated preparations to ensure the pilgrimage is conducted in a smooth, safe, and systematic manner. IG, Garhwal Range, Rajiv Swaroop, and IG, Traffic, Narayan Singh Napalchyal, held a press conference at Sardar Patel Bhawan here, today, regarding the preparations and arrangements for the Char Dham Yatra.
Both the officers claimed that the police have taken a proactive approach to strengthening arrangements across all fronts, namely, security, traffic, crowd management, and inter-departmental coordination. It was stated that IG Garhwal Range, Rajiv Swaroop has been appointed the nodal officer for Char Dham Yatra this year. He will oversee and coordinate the overall security, traffic, and crowd management operations along all yatra routes and major halting points. To ensure this, a dedicated ‘Char Dham Yatra Control Room’ is being set up at the Garhwal Range Office, Dehradun. This control room will operate round-the-clock and will be headed by SP Traffic Dehradun, Lokjeet Singh, along with a team comprising 1 DSP, 2 Inspectors, 4 SIs in addition to the support staff.
Swaroop added that the control room will basically serve as a central hub for monitoring key operations such as pilgrim registration, traffic flow, parking facilities, duty and security arrangements, passenger movement, disaster response, tracking of fake registrations, and coordination with other departments. Special desks will be established for each function, and the control room is expected to be fully operational within the next five days. Daily reports on the status of the Yatra will be submitted to senior officers to ensure continuous supervision.
At the state level, a ‘Char Dham Cell’ is also being set up at the Police Headquarters under the leadership of DIG Crime and Law & Order, Dhirendra Gunjyal. This cell will collect and coordinate all relevant data and updates related to the Yatra across departments.
Swaroop and Napalchyal claimed that, in a first of its kind move, the Yatra routes have been divided into 15 super zones, 41 zones, and 137 sectors, with each sector covering a 10-kilometre stretch. Two constables will be deployed in each sector on a 24-hour rotation basis. Nine Additional Superintendents of Police (ASPs) have been designated as routes in-charge for the various Yatra routes. Additionally, one DSP will be in charge of each of the four Dhams to ensure comprehensive arrangements.
To support this massive operation, a total deployment of 24 DSPs, 66 Inspectors, 366 Sub-Inspectors, 615 Head Constables, 1222 Constables, 208 Women Constables, 926 Home Guards, 1049 PRD Jawans, 9 companies of PAC, and 26 sub-teams of SDRF has been planned.
Director, Traffic, Narayan Singh Napalchyal claimed that a robust traffic management plan is also underway. He added that, along with his team, he has started on-site inspections and created a detailed traffic blueprint for the Yatra routes. Special attention is being given to the Yamunotri route due to the newly launched expressway. Additional halting zones and parking facilities are being arranged in coordination with local administration.
In Vikasnagar and Rishikesh, transit camps are being set up under the supervision of SP Vikasnagar and SP Rishikesh, respectively, with the aim of managing passenger and vehicle flow to Yamunotri and Gangotri Dhams. Feedback is actively being collected from all those in charge of districts to fine-tune manpower allocation and logistics.
Both the Police officers shared that the forces deployed on duty will undergo comprehensive training to familiarise them with the nuances of Yatra management. To ensure their wellbeing, a Welfare Officer will be stationed at the control room to take care of food, accommodation, and other logistical needs of police personnel and support staff. They further claimed that learning from previous experiences, challenges encountered in past Yatras have been reviewed and shared with respective District Magistrates and departments to facilitate timely planning and avoid repetition of past issues.
