Chaos on Day One of Kedarnath Yatra
Garhwal Post Bureau
Mussoorie/Kedarnath, 22 Apr: While the opening of the portals of Kedarnath Dham witnessed an outpouring of faith, the very first day of the pilgrimage exposed glaring flaws in the administrative arrangements. Hundreds of devotees faced severe hardships as helicopter services were disrupted.
According to reports, helicopter services operated by Himalayan Heli Service Limited failed to take off at their scheduled times in the morning. It is reported that flights scheduled to commence at 6 a.m. were denied landing permission at Kedarnath, resulting in the complete disruption of the service.
A large number of devotees had gathered at the Sherasi helipad early in the morning; however, due to the cancellation of flights, more than 100 passengers were forced to turn back. Meanwhile, hundreds of other devotees were seen waiting for hours for their turn.
The company has assured passengers that ticket refunds will be processed within a week; however, this has done little to quell the outrage among the devotees.
VIP movement is being cited as the primary reason behind the disruption of helicopter services. According to the company, the heavy volume of VIP traffic in Kedarnath prevented regular flights from receiving landing clearance, thereby causing inconvenience to common devotees.
Every year, prior to the pilgrimage, the government makes claims regarding the implementation of superior arrangements; however, the chaos witnessed on the very first day has cast serious doubts upon these assertions. Devotees have expressed concern that, if such a situation persists on the opening day itself, the remainder of the pilgrimage could prove to be even more challenging.
Passengers present at the helipad have demanded improvements in the administrative arrangements and called for striking a balance between VIP movements and the needs of the general public. They argue that prioritising VIPs while overlooking ordinary devotees is inappropriate. This grand festival of faith has commenced amidst disarray.
