DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Saturday announced that travel to Kedarnath shrine will be possible from May 4 as district to district transport will be allowed in green zone districts. The portals of the shrine were opened on April 29.
Of the 13 districts in the state, Haridwar is in the red zone while Dehradun and Nainital are in the orange zone.
Elaborating further the CM added, "Only pilgrims from Uttarakhand will be allowed to travel to the revered shrine on the condition of following the safety norms."
Replying to queries related to online darshan, the CM said that it will be arranged soon but for rituals of the sanctum sanctorum, priests of the shrines will be consulted.
Meanwhile, preparations to open Badrinath shrine are in full swing. Voices of protests are also reverberating over the decision to delay the opening of the shrine.
Earlier, the opening was scheduled for April 30 which was shifted to May 15.
The state government on Saturday also announced measures to ease the lockdown from May 4.
In green zone areas, shops will be allowed to open from 7am to 4pm while only agriculture related activities will be allowed in red zone areas.
All government officers will be opened in green zone districts with safety and social distancing measures in place.
The government has also allowed private establishment to function with not more than 50% staff.