With clear sky, footfall of devotees at Kedarnath Dham starts picking up

Till now, more than 12.25 lakh devotees paid obeisance to Lord. Incessant heavy rainfall triggering landslides had badly hampered the movement of pilgrims on the Yatra route. The Char Dham Yatra came to a grinding halt due to rains and incidents of landslides in the region.

Rudraprayag (Uttarakhand):With the clearing of the sky and less rainfall, the footfall of devotees has again started picking up at Kedarnath Dham. During the rainy season, the number of pilgrims visiting the Kedarnath shrine was in the range of around 300 to 500. As the monsoon is on the wane, the figure has again started touching 2,000 a day and is expected to go further up in the coming days.

Apart from this, only one heli-company was providing services due to inclement weather conditions. Now, more than one have resumed services to Kedar Valley. Till now, more than 12.25 lakh devotees paid obeisance to Lord Shiva. Incessant heavy rainfall triggering landslides had badly hampered the movement of pilgrims on the Yatra route. The Char Dham Yatra came to a grinding halt due to rains and incidents of landslides in the region.

The pilgrims undertaking the Char Dham Yatra will continue as more than two months are still left after which the portals of Kedarnath Dham will closed for devotees. Rudraprayag DM Dr Saurabh Gaharwar said the weather is clear in Kedarnath Dham as well as in other Yatra destinations.

"Due to the pleasant weather conditions, the number of pilgrims has gone up in Kedar Valley. The 18-km-long pedestrian route from Gaurikund to Kedarnath Dham has been made more convenient for pilgrims. The teams of NDRF, SDRF, DDRF, YMF, and police have been deployed along the Yatra route," said the DM.

Furthermore, the doctors and pharmacists of the health department are also providing better services on the Yatra route. So far, one lakh 80 thousand devotees (1.80 lakh) were examined by doctors covering OPD and emergency services, while more than six thousand pilgrims were provided oxygen facilities, said the DM, adding, "We were keeping an eye on the horse and mule operators to check cruelty against animals."