DEHRADUN: Amid towering sacred peaks and scanty snowy sentinels bowing in reverence to Baba Kedarnath, the much-awaited Char Dham Yatra is all set to roll out three days from now.
The sacred journey begins on April 30, on the auspicious day of Akshaya Tritiya.
The spiritual call of Baba Kedarnath, Badri Narayan, Gangotri Mata, and Yamunotri Devi is set to draw lakhs of pilgrims once again.
But with footfalls soaring, the big question is — is the Pushkar Singh Dhami government ready to handle the rush?
Sharing his concerns, Anoop Nautiyal, President of the SDC Foundation, sounded a clear alarm.
In a candid video message from Dehradun shared with www.himbumail.com, Nautiyal said, "Last year, 48 lakh pilgrims came during the 28-week yatra."
"But the real pressure was in the first month itself — May 10 to June 10 — when 41% of the total crowd arrived."
"This early rush triggered traffic jams, medical emergencies, pollution and crowd chaos," he warned.
The fact that over 200 pilgrims, old or unfit died in the course of yatra in 2024. This has prompted a call for the medical emergency response system to be more wider and active along the routes.
Nautiyal advised pilgrims to prepare well.
"Don’t rush on the tough trails. Dress right for the mountains. Get a medical checkup if needed," he said.
"And please, for God's sake, don't litter the holy land. Bring back your trash in your own bags," he pleaded.
Trying to strengthen preparations, CM Pushkar Singh Dhami flagged off the Six Sigma High Altitude Medical Service team.
He also launched the Sanjeevani Kit for pilgrims.
"These steps will boost our health care facilities for the yatra," Dhami assured.
The police are also tightening up.
SSP Dehradun has already inspected the Char Dham routes to ensure smoother pilgrim movement.
Meanwhile, Uttarakhand DGP warned pilgrims against fake online booking scams.
"Use only official websites to book helicopter services and online bookings," he said.
Cyber police teams are keeping a strict vigil on fraudsters.
On the security front, ITBP has been deployed at Kedarnath and Badrinath Dhams.
Since 2022, after the gold plating of Kedarnath’s sanctum, ITBP deployment has become a regular winter feature too.
"ITBP presence gives a sense of security to the devotees," said Ajendra Ajay, President, Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC).
But Nautiyal made it clear — a lot more needs to be done.
"Plans A, B, and C are good on paper. Zones have been created. Six thousand staffers have been roped in," he said.
"But without strict caps on daily pilgrims and timely weather warnings, the system can still collapse."
Most slots for May 2025 are already booked. The sacred trails are ready. The pilgrims are ready.
Now, the test is for the government — to see if their ground arrangements match the faith and the fury of the mountains.
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