Dehradun:
Considered the backbone of spiritual tourism and the economy of Uttarakhand, the six-month-long pilgrimage to four Hindu shrines of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri will begin on Tuesday.
Popularly known as the
Char Dham Yatra, the pilgrimage will be flagged off by Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, officials said.
Special accommodation arrangements were also made for the pilgrims, expected to be around 50 lakh this year, they said.
The administration has made elaborate security arrangements for the pilgrims.
Fool proof security arrangements - including heavy deployment of PAC, police, home guards, fire safety measures - have been put in place. CCTV cameras have also been installed at sensitive points, officials said.
Transport department has also geared up to minimise the number of accidents.
"Since the yatra route passes through hilly terrain and is highly accident prone, transport department and police personnel have been instructed to ensure that there is no overloading of pilgrims, the drivers do not exceed the prescribed limit and do not drive in drunken state," an official said.
The administration has also initiated steps to check food adulteration and prices of eatables. The shop keepers have been asked to display price list of all the eatables and essential items, so that they do not charge exorbitant prices from the pilgrims.