Uttarakhand govt gears up for Char Dham Yatra; priest body apprehensive

Devbhoomi Tirtha Purohit Haqhakudhari Mahapanchayat, a clergymen’ physique in Uttarakhand that has representatives from all the key shrines within the hill state, has opposed the state authorities’s proposed transfer to start out the annual Char Dham yatra from June eight in step with the Union Ministry of Home Affairs’(MHA) tips on opening spiritual locations of worship amid the easing of lockdown restrictions that have been imposed to comprise the unfold of the coronavirus illness (Covid-19) outbreak.

Brijesh Sati, the spokesperson of the mahapanchayat, stated the clergymen of the 4 primary shrines of Uttarakhand are towards beginning the Char Dham yatra from Monday, as they’ve expressed their reservations about sustaining strict social distancing norms and sanitisation of automobiles as a precautionary measure to stop the pandemic.

“The opening of the Char Dham yatra is fraught with the risk of the spread of the infection, as it may not be feasible to maintain strict social distancing norms and sanitisation of vehicles. Besides, our hill state has been reporting a growing number of Covid-19 positive cases daily,” Sati stated.

On Tuesday, representatives of the clergymen from the Kedarnath shrine met the district Justice of the Peace of Rudraprayag to debate the matter. The clergymen from Gangotri and Yamunotri Dham Temple Committees have additionally raised related objections.

The clergymen need the choice to open the shrines for pilgrims to be postponed for a couple of extra weeks due to the spiralling variety of Covid-19 positive instances within the hill state.

Rajesh Semwal, co-secretary, Gangotri Dham Temple Committee, stated Covid-19 positive instances are comparatively lesser within the hilly districts and most of them have been reported among the many migrants who’ve returned to their dwelling state amid the easing of lockdown restrictions.

“Those who tested Covid-19 positive have had a travel history from other states. If Char Dham yatra begins and pilgrims start coming from outside, then the infection is likely to spread. Under such circumstances, it’s prudent not to start the yatra from Monday,” stated Semwal.

State cupboard minister Madan Kaushik, who can also be the official spokesperson of the state authorities, stated that the clergymen’ apprehensions can be considered earlier than taking a ultimate name on beginning the Char Dham yatra from Monday.

“We’re closely studying the MHA guidelines. If the yatra starts from Monday, then it’ll be restricted to only pilgrims from Uttarakhand, as the interstate travel restrictions are still in place and state borders are closed. Besides, there are issues about acquiring passes while coming from the red zones. All these issues will be discussed threadbare before a final decision is taken on starting the Char Dham yatra from Monday,” Kaushik stated.