Rudraprayag: Kedarnath Dham- one among the four religious sites in the 'Char Dham Yatra' - has recorded visits of more than 15 lakh devotees in 2022, officials informed on Sunday.
Speaking on the issue, Rudraprayag District Magistrate Mayur Dixit said that district officials had predicted huge footfall after a COVID-induced closure back in 2020 and that accordingly, the administration focussed on keeping facilities ongoing.
"The major facilities or requirements such as maintenance of the trekking routes, arranging adequate drinking water supply and toilets as well as rain shades for pilgrims, while at the same time ensuring employment generation for locals was the main challenge. We have consulted with all stakeholders before taking action, which is why I feel the entire process was so smooth," Dixit noted.
"For two years, the yatra had been affected due to COVID. We had a fair idea about a bigger number heading our way this time. This is why the police had decided on a prior arrangement. We have been able to smoothly accommodate nearly 15 lakh pilgrims this season," Rudraprayag SP Ayush Agarwal said.
Agarwal further stated that both traffic and crowd management had remained 'quite challenging', noting that around 3.5 lakh vehicles had to be directed towards both Kedarnath and Badrinath from Rudraprayag throughout the season. Hosting 10,000 pre-season pilgrims and additionally taking care of emergency situations, such as landslides, was also crucial during this time, he added.
