Even as the gates of Char Dham in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand have been opened this year, pilgrims from the state are evincing very little interest in the yatra. The scars of last year’s devastation caused by nature’s fury remains afresh in the minds of pilgrims. Tour operators here are, however, pinning hopes on feedback from the initial batches of pilgrims, on restoration of roads and accommodation on the hills to increase their bookings.
Yamunotri and Gangotri have been opened for pilgrims on May 2, while Kedarnath was opened on May 4 followed by Badrinath on May 5.
Andhra Pradesh, over the years, enjoy the tag of sending the largest number of pilgrims on Char Dham Yatra. The pilgrimage is open till September. However, this year, Uttarakhand Toursim’s Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) office at Paryatak Bhavan has made only about 50 bookings.
Another major Char Dham operator Southern Travels in the city, has been able to get only about 100 bookings so far. They hope bookings will increase once the first batch of pilgrims return.
Kailash Kothari, public relations officer at GMVN, said that weather at present was a concern. Also, he pointed out that enough helicopters were not available due to the ensuing elections. ‘’Weather is too cold at present. There is about 5 feet snow at Kedarnath right now.
One will have to reach Kedarnath from Sonprayag by trek. There are around 50 tents erected between Gaurikund and Kedarnath for pilgrims to stay and around 500 pilgrims are sent everyday for Kedarnath darshan,” said Kothari, speaking over phone from Rishikesh.
He further said that roads have been largely restored except for a few stretches. ‘’Only small vehicles are allowed to Yamunotri due to bad roads.
For Char Dham, now one should be well prepared. Post May 12, things would be better since more helicopters would ply and snow too would be removed,” he added.
R Satyanarayana, administrative manager at Southern Travels’ Hyderabad office said that they were waiting for some clarity about the ground situation before taking any further bookings. ‘’If we cannot assure Kedarnath darshan, we cannot go ahead with bookings. As of now, we tell pilgrims that helicopters are not in our control and that they themselves will have to arrange. Rest of the things, we take care,” he said adding that bookings were considerably low as compared to previous years.
Southern Travels’ first bus has already left on the pilgrimage and would return to Delhi on May 11.
They are, however, hopeful of increased bookings for Yamuna Pushkaram, a festival considered to be auspicious among Hindus. ‘’The festival starts on June 19, and since it is a major event this year, we are expecting some good registrations,” said Satyanarayana. Kothari, warned pilgrims of partial information and asked them to contact, GMVNL Hyderabad at 9493982645, 8374877904 and 040 23409945
Char Dham
■ Rough weather is another reason for pilgrims to stay away
■ Currently only small vehicles are allowed to Yamunotri due to bad roads
