Pilgrimage to Gangotri fails to pick up

Three days after the Uttarakhand government threw open the doors of the famed Gangotri for pilgrims in the Garhwal Himalayas, the pilgrimage has failed to pick up momentum with the June 16-17 deluge still casting a shadow over it.

"During the past three days, only 30-40 pilgrims have come to Gangotri every day on an average," said Suresh Semwal, secretary Gangotri temple committee. The sources said the pilgrims are not feeling safe these days to visit the Himalayan shrine mainly due to the damaged road networks.

The government's move to resume the Gangotri yatra was being seen as a desperate step to revive the tourist activities in the floods-ravaged Garhwal region. After the June flash floods, the Chardham yatra, comprising pilgrimage to Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri, had come to a halt. The Chardham yatra is considered to be the mainstay of the Garhwal's fragile economy. The government is also making efforts to restart pilgrimage to other three Hindu shrines of Kedarnath, Badrinath and Yamunotri from October 1.

The Border Road Organization (BRO) has been asked by the government to finish the remaining repair work before September 30. The Sikh pilgrimage to the Hemkund shrine had already resumed on September 21.