UTTARAKHAND GEARS UP FOR CHAR DHAM YATRA

Kedarnath and Badrinath shrines.

Control rooms, especially set up for tackling queries related to the Char Dham yatra, have started functioning in Uttarakhand, State Tourism Secretary Umakant Panwar said here on Monday.The ‘Yatra Control Rooms’ would work in coordination with the disaster management department, he said.

The yatra would commence on May 2 with the reopening of the Gangotri and Yamunotri shrines.The Kedarnath shrine would reopen for pilgrims on May 4 and the Badrinath shrine on May 5.Mobile health units would be established every 10 to 20 km on the yatra route. The Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) had agreed to establish more towers on the route for better mobile phone connectivity.

Pilgrims would be registered through a biometric registration system.Mr. Panwar said: “A system is being developed to provide meteorological data to pilgrims on their mobile phones every six hours. Citizens over 65 can undertake the yatra free of cost.”Emergency helicopter services would be provided if the yatra routes were blocked by landslips.