The Uttarakhand High Court has lifted the ban on Char Dham Yatra on 16 September 2021. It has been nearly three months since the ban was imposed. It is pleasant news for devotees across India as the ban imposed due to the increasing number of covid 19 cases had spoiled their plans for pilgrimage. Although, the numbers have still not gone down in some states, considering other factors, such as livelihood for poor people in holy places, the removal of the ban will certainly help. The Yatra is a source of employment to nearly 10,000 people, comprising temple trusts, restaurants, hotels, tour guides, tourist vehicle owners, and different tourist-centric businesses. It provides economic support to shrines and the surrounding areas.

Guidelines on resumption of Char Dham yatra

• The Uttarakhand High Court has allowed the restart of yatra with few restrictions- people, visiting these places have to carry a covid negative report and should be fully vaccinated.
• Apart from this, the Court has also ordered the government to allocate police forces and authorities to check the abidance by covid protocols and to control the excess crowd. People, visiting these places cannot take bath in any natural spring around these places.
• The High Court put a cap on the number of pilgrims, as in a day, only 1,000 devotees can visit Badrinath, 800 Kedarnath, 600 Gangotri, and 400 can visit Yamunotri. 
• The Bench has also ordered the secretaries of district legal services authority (DLSA) of Uttarkashi, Chamoli, and Rudraprayag to send a weekly report to the High court about the current status of the crowd and implementation of safety measures.

The Char Dham Yatra, a sacred pilgrimage in the Hindu religion, covers four sacred places- Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath in Uttarakhand. These places come under the Garhwal region of the state.

Earlier, the State government had decided to start the Char Dham Yatra on July 1, 2021, but the High court put a stay on the decision on 28^th June. Then the State government went to Supreme Court and challenged the High Court’s Stay on the Yatra stating that the covid situation has improved and residents living in these areas earn their living by the yatra, therefore, yatra should be allowed. Based on this plea, the High Court issued an order for the resumption of the yatra.

The State government gave assurance to the High court that Covid19 protocols will be strictly followed. Advocate General SN Babulal and Chief Standing Advocate CS Rawat presented a strong plea in front of the court regarding the poor financial condition of the families in the area and it the Yatra season goes by, these families will have to suffer a huge financial loss.

He also assured the court that the Court’s concern regarding the Covid situation has been addressed and the situation has improved significantly.  

The High Court’s decision on the resumption of Char Dham yatra has brought a joyous sentiment to all devotees who have been eagerly waiting to do Char Dham Yatra.

Not only devotees but also people residing in these places are pleased with this decision.