Uttarakhand to regulate Kedarnath yatra

The Uttarakhand government has decided to regulate the pilgrimage to Kedarnath, the epicentre of last year's mid-June deluge, as it launched a global campaign to attract tourists and pilgrims for the Chardham yatra beginning from May 2.

"We will permit only 1,000 pilgrims per day to Kedarnath yatra," said Ganesh Godiyal, Chairman of the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee.

For visiting Kedarnath, the government would issue special passes to the pilgrims who wish to visit the Kedarnath shrine, the abode of Lord Shiva, either through helicopter or the trek route. However, there will be no such restriction on pilgrims visiting other three shrines of Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri.

Uttarakhand which is yet to recover from the unprecedented natural disaster, has launched reconstruction works on war-footing which the top government officials claimed would be completed before the start of the annual Chardham Yatra. "We will complete all these works by the end of April," said Chief Secretary Subhash Kumar.

The hill state, whose economy is hugely dependent on tourism, is home to holy shrines of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri collectively known as Chardham, which attract a large number of devotees and religious travellers every year from home and abroad.

The state is spending about Rs 5-10 crore on marketing and publicity to revive the tourism sector. Senior government officials are visiting the state capitals and some foreign countries in this regard.

In 2012, nearly 2 crore people, including foreign tourists, visited Uttarakhand, but this number fell by 80 per cent in 2013 following the devastating floods. The government now wants to revive the tourism to its past glory.

The state government has already sanctioned Rs 1700 crore on various works mainly restoring the damaged infrastructure.

The doors of Badrinath shrine will be thrown open on May 5, while Kedarnath temple will on May 4. Similarly, other two shrines - Gangotri and Yamunotri will also open on May 2.