Dehradun: In view of worsening COVID-19 situation in the country, the Uttarakhand government on Thursday decided to suspend the Char Dham Yatra.
Issuing an order, Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat said only priests of the four temples will perform rituals and puja this year.
This year, the yatra was scheduled to start from May 14.
The Char Dham – Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri are located in the state’s Garhwal region. The state government had earlier prepared a draft standard operating procedures (SOP) for registration of pilgrims and visit. The draft was not made public as the government decided to review the situation.
In 2019, nearly 38 lakh pilgrims visited the holy shrines, but in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, only 4.2 lakh could embark only the holy pilgrimage. Keeping in mind the pandemic situation, the state government has started preparations in advance.
