U'khand CM asks only fit pilgrims to embark on Char Dham Yatra

With 41 pilgrims dying en route to the Char Dham shrines since the start of the yatra on May 3, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday appealed to devotees to embark on the pilgrimage only after consulting their doctors.

Four pilgrims died of cardiac arrest on Monday -- each on their way to the Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath temples. With these deaths, 14 pilgrims have died so far en route to Yamunotri, four on their journey to Gangotri, 15 to Kedarnath and eight on their way to Badrinath, according to official figures.

"Pilgrims who are not perfectly fit should not set out on the pilgrimage without doctor's permission," Dhami said at a programme in Almora.

The Char Dham Yatra, which was a low-key affair for the last two years due to COVID-19, began on a full scale this year and the number of pilgrims visiting the temples has increased manifold, Dhami said.

All efforts are being made to manage the yatra in a better way and make it absolutely safe and convenient for pilgrims, he added.

As of Sunday, 5,20,321 devotees visited the temples.