Latest news with #ChardhamYatra
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- New Indian Express
Chardham Yatra draws 33 lakh pilgrims, adds Rs 306 crore to Uttarakhand economy
DEHRADUN: The Chardham Yatra, the backbone of Uttarakhand's economy, has seen a festive surge in footfall, with pilgrim numbers crossing 33 lakh. The Kedarnath Yatra alone has generated Rs 306 crore revenue in just 48 days. Yogendra Gangwar, Joint Director of the Tourism Division at the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Council, told TNIE, "Since the opening of Baba Kedarnath Dham's portals for pilgrims on May 2, until Thursday evening, the number of devotees who have visited Baba Kedar has exceeded 11.64 lakh." "If we calculate the average for the past month, approximately 24,000 pilgrims are arriving daily for darshan at Kedarnath Dham," he added. Dr. Ashish Rawat, Chief Veterinary Officer, told TNIE, 'The Kedarnath Dham Yatra is one of the most arduous religious pilgrimages in the country. After traversing a challenging 20-kilometer trek, pilgrims finally get to behold the 11th Jyotirlinga nestled in the lap of the Himalayas.' 'Horses and mules play an extremely crucial role in this difficult pedestrian pilgrimage. As of Wednesday, 228,665 pilgrims reached Kedarnath Dham via horses and mules, generating an income of approximately Rs 67.5 crore," he added. Rahul Chaubey, Nodal Officer for Kedarnath Heli Service, which operates as a lifeline for elderly pilgrims, stated, "This year, eight companies are operating heli-services from nine helipads. By Thursday, 49,294 pilgrims had reached Kedarnath by helicopter, generating an income of ₹61 crore from helicopter fares." For the convenience of elderly pilgrims on the Kedarnath trekking route, dandi-kandi (palanquin/porter services) are operated. Over 7,000 dandi-kandi operators are registered for this year's pilgrimage.
News18
2 days ago
- News18
Pilgrims Engage In Violent Brawl On Kedarnath Route, Hit Each Other With Sticks
Last Updated: In one of the viral videos, several tourists can be seen engaging in a violent brawl in one of the parking lots in Kedarnath. Several videos have emerged on social media platforms that showed violent clashes breaking out among tourists on the Kedarnath Yatra route in Uttarakhand. The unrest appears to be part of a series of such incidents that have surfaced since the beginning of this year's Chardham Yatra. In one of the viral videos, several tourists can be seen engaging in a violent brawl in one of the parking lots in Kedarnath. Multiple men can be seen swinging the sticks like swordsmen at each other. जब हिंसा ही करनी है, लाठी डंडे ही चलाने है तो फिर धार्मिक यात्रा पर आने का क्या फायदा ? केदारनाथ यात्रा मार्ग पर सीतापुर पार्किंग में तीर्थ यात्री आपस में भिड़े, लाठियों से किए एक-दूसरे पर वार। #kedarnath #sitapur #gaurikund — Ajit Singh Rathi (@AjitSinghRathi) June 19, 2025 Meanwhile, the Kedarnath Yatra continues to witness an exceptionally high turnout. According to figures released by local authorities, over 1.14 million devotees have visited the holy shrine so far this year. The portals of Kedarnath Dham, one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva, were opened for the devotees on May 2. At a height of nearly 3,500 metres above sea level, Kedarnath temple is located near the Mandakini river in Rudraprayag district in Uttarakhand. On November 3, 2024, the doors of the temple were closed ahead of the winter season, and the event was witnessed by thousands of pilgrims. First Published: June 19, 2025, 18:13 IST
India Gazette
3 days ago
- Business
- India Gazette
"Necessary to intensify pilgrimage, tourism activities in Uttarakhand": CM Dhami
Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], June 18 (ANI): Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Wednesday reiterated the importance of strengthening pilgrimage and tourism activities to ensure the holistic development of Uttarakhand. CM Dhami said that it is necessary to intensify pilgrimage and tourism activities in all areas for the overall development of Uttarakhand. Referring to the state as Devbhoomi, he emphasised that every temple here holds unique religious significance. 'The state government is committed to enhancing basic infrastructure across all pilgrimage sites. Uttarakhand is Devbhoomi, here every temple has its own importance. The government is trying to develop basic facilities at all pilgrimage sites,' said CM Dhami. This year, the Chardham Yatra has seen a remarkable influx, with around 32 lakh pilgrims visiting the holy shrines so far. Notably, devotees are increasingly exploring other temples and spiritual destinations alongside the main Chardham circuit. As a result, economic activity is expanding beyond the traditional pilgrimage routes. As per an official release, during the current Yatra season, total registrations for Chardham and Hemkund Sahib have crossed 44 lakh. Among them, Yamunotri has recorded 7,13,456 registrations, Gangotri 7,80,554, Kedarnath 14,43,513, Badrinath 13,36,923, and Hemkund Sahib 1,69,180. Of these, nearly 32 lakh pilgrims have already completed their journeys, significantly boosting the local economy along these routes. In line with this, CM Dhami has been actively promoting visits to lesser-known pilgrimage sites to further stimulate regional economic growth. This strategy is already yielding results, with increasing footfall at temples like the Kartikeya Swami Temple in Rudraprayag and the Jagannath Temple in Uttarkashi. Last year, approximately 4 lakh devotees visited the Kartikeya Swami Temple. This year, that number has surged past 10 lakh by mid-June. Similarly, the Jagannath Temple has welcomed 25,000 pilgrims so far. This growing interest in peripheral pilgrimage sites is driving parallel growth in hospitality, transport, prasad offerings, and other related sectors, providing vital support to local livelihoods across the state. (ANI)
NDTV
5 days ago
- General
- NDTV
No Radars, Weather Updates Behind Rise In Uttarakhand Chopper Crashes
Sunday's chopper crash in Uttarakhand was the fifth helicopter accident in the last six weeks that has triggered outrage and concern among people and has sent officials scrambling for answers. Helicopter crashes or emergency landings are occurring at an alarming frequency on the Chardham yatra route in Uttarakhand. The Chardham yatra involves Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri and Gangotri shrines. Social activist Anoop Nautiyal on Monday asked aviation regulator DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) to halt helicopter operations on the Chardham Yatra route for the entire pilgrimage season this year, urging the government to build an infrastructure suitable for safe flying in the challenging Himalayan terrain. "Since we have had five heli crashes in the past 6 weeks, why can't you simply put a complete stop on helicopter operations for this year's yatra season. This time should be utilised in preparing the much needed infrastructure for aero safety on the Char Dham Yatra route," Mr Nautiyal posted on X addressing the DGCA. He emphasised that the lives of pilots and pilgrims are at risk with "no Air Traffic Control (ATC), no radars and no real-time weather updates". Five adults, an infant and one crew member were on board the Aryan Aviation's Bell 407 helicopter operating in the "Shri Kedarnath Ji - Aryan Helipad, Guptkashi" sector that crashed on Sunday, the Civil Aviation Ministry said in a statement. The helicopter took off from Guptkashi at 05:10 am and landed at Shri Kedarnath Ji Helipad at 05:18 am before departing again at 05:19 am for Guptkashi and is reported to have crashed near Gaurikund between 05:30 am and 05:45 am, the statement said. A case has been registered against helicopter service operating firm Aryan Aviation Private Ltd for alleged negligence in connection with the chopper crash which killed all seven people on board, including a two-year-old child and the pilot. The complaint states that Aryan Aviation was allotted the first slot from 6 am to 7 am for helicopter operations on June 15, while this accident happened before that at 5:30 am. The first flying slot opens at 6 am. Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami said it has been decided to set up a common "Command and Coordination Center" in Dehradun for better coordination and safe operation of helicopters. Here's a look at previous accidents: On May 8, a helicopter going to Gangotri Dham crashed in Uttarkashi district in which six people were killed. On June 7, a helicopter going to Kedarnath had to make an emergency landing on the road due to a technical fault soon after take-off in which the pilot was injured but the five devotees on board were rescued safely. On May 12, a helicopter returning from Badrinath to Sersi with pilgrims on board had to make an emergency landing in a school playground in Ukhimath due to poor visibility. All pilgrims were safe. On May 17, a heli ambulance from AIIMS Rishikesh crash-landed near the Kedarnath helipad in Uttarakhand due to damage to its rear part. Fortunately, all three occupants on board - a doctor, a pilot, and a medical staff member - escaped unharmed In contrast to last 14 years, 13 helicopter accidents have happened in the Kedarnath Valley in which 41 people have died. A helicopter operator, who previously ran a helicopter service in Kedarnath valley, pointed out that the companies providing helicopter services here keep the helicopter circling around Kedarnath without stopping, suggesting it as one of the reasons behind the rise in accidents. The operator did not wish to be named. The companies that provide service in the Kedarnath valley are given Shuttle Flying Slots every 10 days by the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA). According to these shuttle flying slots, the aviation companies fly their helicopters in the Kedarnath valley and take the devotees for the visit and darshan of Kedarnath Dham. "The helicopter flights to Kedarnath are conducted as per DGCA norms i.e. SOP. An aviation company has permission to fly three times in an hour from Guptkashi and an aviation company flies four times in an hour from Phata and Sirsi," said UCADA CEO Sonika. The officer said that the ATC has a weather station in Kedarnath, the weather office IMD is also going to set up its station there and "we also have weather surveillance cameras", adding that weather is so unpredictable and the terrain so difficult that safety measures will have to be put in place. How many trips are helicopter companies allowed to make? The companies operate from three helipads in Kedarnath Dham. Helicopter services run from Guptkashi, Phata, Sirsi helipads. Nine aviation companies are providing services in Kedarnath valley and each company gets 7 to 8 hours flying slots. In this 8-hour slot, the helicopter gets 25 minutes for refuelling after every hour. Apart from this, each company has two pilots as per the time given to the company. If 8-hour flying slots are given, then one pilot will fly for 4 hours and the other for 4 hours. If 7-hour flying slots is given, then one pilot will fly for 3:30 hours and the other will fly for 3:30 hours. Apart from this, when the helicopter returns after completing the last flying slot, it is mandatory to have 100 litres of fuel in it, according to the DGCA rules. NDTV has learnt that an aviation company gets approximately 24 trips a day from Guptkashi, 32 trips a day from Phata and approximately 32 trips a day from Sirsi. According to the DGCA rules, 6 helicopters can fly at a time in Kedarnath valley. After the completion of the time of three helicopters, three more helicopters can fly, that is, 6 helicopters can fly regularly in Kedarnath valley at a time, in which 6 helicopters will fly towards Kedarnath and three helicopters will fly back from Kedarnath to Guptkashi Phata and Sirsi. A former helicopter operator told NDTV that Kedarnath valley is the most difficult flying zone for helicopters because the weather mostly turns bad from Rambada to Jungle Chatti or there is fog and clouds in the valley which make it difficult to fly the helicopter. Additionally, single engine helicopters fly here and they have to fly in the valley itself because the wind flows downwards from Kedarnath to Gauri Kund and Sonprayag. All the four dhams in Uttarakhand are in the Himalayan region above 3,000 meters, where the weather creates the biggest problem for the helicopters. What's the weight that helicopters can carry? The helicopters are not allowed to take off with a full tank. Also, the weight of passengers cannot exceed 380 kg and the luggage of each passenger should not be more than 2 kg. One of the major reasons for the accidents is that there is no Air Traffic Control System due to which there is a lot of difficulty in monitoring the helicopter service. Also, there is no weather office here so that information about bad weather can be immediately given to the helicopter pilots, which can help in preventing these accidents. "Officers of DGCA and other agencies will be permanently placed here. An integrated command control coordination and communication centre will be developed here," said Anand Vardhan, Chief Secretary, Uttarakhand.
India Today
6 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
BJP's careless air service rules responsible for Kedarnath chopper crash: Congress
The Congress' Uttarakhand unit on Sunday called the helicopter crash near Kedarnath as "extremely sad and unfortunate" and held the BJP government's "lax and careless air service rules" responsible for it.A helicopter carrying pilgrims from the Kedarnath shrine crashed early Sunday in the forests of Gaurikund amid poor visibility, killing all seven people on was the fifth helicopter accident on the Chardham Yatra route since the pilgrimage started on April Pradesh Congress Committee's senior vice-president (organization) Suryakant Dhasmana said that it has been just a month and a few days since the Chardham Yatra started in the state, but five helicopter accidents have already taken place."There is news of people losing their lives in today's accident, which is extremely sad and unfortunate. The lax and careless air service rules of the BJP government of Uttarakhand are completely responsible for this," he said in a statement issued said that his party had asked the state government to strictly implement the Air Traffic Control (ATC) rules in Uttarakhand and had lodged strong objection to the fact that in the rush to earn money, the helicopter companies were flouting the rules and playing with the lives of Congress leader said he had information that two other helicopters also took off from the same place, but they returned as soon as this helicopter alleged that the orders being given by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami regarding heli services are having no effect on the heli companies operating on the yatra route."Flying helicopters in bad weather two days after the chief minister's warning is proving that the heli companies are ready to risk lives to make money," he Congress leader urged the BJP government to strictly implement the ATC rules in the state and take strict action against companies that play with the safety of said that a cleanliness audit and other safety standards in helicopters should also be strictly Watch advertisement
