Joshimath in focus, all you must know about Uttarakhand's Char Dham Yatra

The sinking of Joshimath has been in the news for the past few weeks. Bordered by two rivers and nestled on the slope of the Himalayas, the small town in Uttarakhand saw mass evacuation after cracks appeared on the homes and the roads there. The cracks grew from hairline wide to several feet in just a matter of months.

Hundreds of homes in the city are no longer habitable. The authorities are dismantling the cracked buildings and shifting hundreds of families outside the town. Recently, the Geological Survey of India (GSI) has found four places for rehabilitation near Joshimath.

The exact reason for the cracks is yet unknown. But experts have blamed the town's geography, as well as the construction projects in the region, for the mishap. The town was also subjected to a major property loss in flash floods in October 2021.

While the challenge to rehabilitate and redevelop the town remains, some fear that with Joshimath, India will lose a key gateway to the Char Dham Yatra.

What is the Char Dham Yatra?

The yatra is an annual tour of the four Hindu shrines: Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath. All of these are located in Uttarakhand. Hemkund Sahib, one of the most sacred sites for Sikhs, is also connected to the Char Dham Yatra.

The pilgrims visit all four places one-by-one in a clockwise direction starting from Yamunotri, then Gangotri, Kedarnath and lastly, Badrinath.

Besides religious significance, this also plays a big part in the state's economy. According to reports, it brings around Rs 7,500 crore to Uttarakhand annually. It leads to the employment of over 1 million people in various sectors, including hospitality, handicraft and priests.

The yatra could not take place for two years, in 2020 and 2021, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2022, it resumed on May 3 on the occasion of Akshaya Tritiya.

According to the data provided by the State tourism department, it registered the highest-ever footfall in 2022. Over 4 million people participated in the yatra, and 1,90,264 undertook the Hemkund Sahib yatra. Compared to the pre-pandemic numbers, this is a jump of 35 per cent.

It has also received significant help from the state government and the Centre. Since the 2013 floods, the state has invested Rs 1,000 crore to redevelop Kedarnath Shrine. Rs 550 crore have also been allocated for the facelift of the Badrinath Temple, a report by The Hindu stated earlier.

The Centre is also undertaking several infrastructure projects to improve the connectivity between the four sites. The Rail Vikas Nigam Limited is constructing the Char Dham railway line at the cost of Rs 73,000 crore. This was to end at Joshimath, but its culmination point was later shifted to Pipalkoti, 35 km before Joshimath.

The road ministry is constructing an 889 km-long highway connecting the four sites. The total cost of the Char Dham national highway project is expected to be around Rs 9,500 crore. Moreover, NTPC is also constructing one of its biggest power plants, NTPC Tapovan Vishnugad Hydro Electric Project (HEP), near Joshimath.

All these have been blamed for impacting the region's ecology, but officials have argued that they are ensuring no environmental violation takes place.

How are Joshimath and Char Dham Yatra linked?

Joshimath is the gateway to Badrinath as well as Hemkund Sahib. The pilgrims stay in the town before heading to the last leg of the Char Dham Yatra, to Badrinath. With the town in danger and on the brink of total collapse, there are possibilities that the last stop in the yatra might get cut off, at least temporarily.

This year the yatra is scheduled to start on April 22. With little time remaining, the sinking of Joshimath may pose a threat to the yatra.