Chardham Yatra 2019: Roads to heavenly abode lead to danger

Over 18 lakh devotees have attended the world famous Chardham yatra this year facing poor road connectivity and lack of transportation facilities in the past one and a half month. Uttrakhand government made huge commitments of providing a safe and accessible visit to the pilgrims but failed.

Dehradun: Uttarakhand's world-renowned Chardham (four abodes) yatra has begun. More than 18 lakh devotees have so far visited the pilgrimage facing poor road connectivity in the past one and a half month.

Ahead of this year's Chardham yatra, the government has claimed to boost road connectivity and provide better transportation facilities, but Char Dham Expressway is nothing but a road fraught with danger.

Each year, devotees from across the globe face severe complications in continuing their journey to the fabled four Himalayan shrines of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri.

Prior to the Chardham yatra, the administration made huge commitments of providing a safe and accessible visit to the pilgrims but failed.

According to tourism secretary Amit Negi, the work to repair all the routes of the Chardham yatra is underway.

"National Highway (NH) and Border Roads Organisation (BRO) along with state Public Works Department (PWD) is working on the restoration of the routes," Negi said.

"All the concerned departments have been provided with proper equipment and machinery to repair the roads," he added.

"The government is also working on the All Weather Road project on Chardham yatra route to provide long-term relief to the travellers," spokesperson Madan Kaushik said.

Read:| Kedarnath, an uphill struggle for devotees!