Dhami asks Secy to camp in Uttarkashi, monitor Chardham

Dehradun: With an unprecedented number of pilgrims visiting Chardham this year, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Wednesday asked his secretary, an IAS officer, to camp in Uttarkashi and monitor the management of the yatra to Gangotri and Yamunotri.

The Chief Minister is also maintaining a constant vigil, an official said.

The decision to depute the R Meenakshi Sundaram in Uttarkashi has been taken due to the unprecedented crowds visiting Gangotri and Yamunotri, he said. The Chardham yatra began on May 10. A record 15,630 pilgrims visited Yamunotri on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Gangotri also received a record 18,973 pilgrims on May 11, as per the official data.

A member of Chardham Mahapanchayat, Brijesh Sati said that the increased footfall does not only consist of the devotees but also the YouTubers, vloggers and reel makers for whom praying at the temples is secondary. “Their main purpose is to have fun and shoot an interesting video with the Himalayan temples in the background and upload them on social media rather than having a darshan”, he said. With the number of devotees to Yamunotri crossing its carrying capacity last week, the authorities had to appeal to pilgrims bound for the Himalayan temple to put off their journey for a day on Sunday.