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The Rudraprayag district administration has stepped up preparations to ensure a safe and smooth conduct of the annual Kedarnath Yatra, with officials carrying out extensive ground inspections and strengthening key arrangements along the pilgrimage route.
As part of the review, officials conducted inspections at multiple halt points, closely assessing facilities and logistical arrangements for pilgrims. The exercise began at Sonprayag parking, where authorities evaluated parking management systems, CCTV surveillance, nearby shops, and accommodation arrangements for deployed security personnel. Cleanliness, availability of drinking water, and proper functioning of toilet facilities were also examined in detail. The inspection team further visited the "Har Har Mahadev" community kitchen (bhandara), where they reviewed the quality of food being served to devotees and assessed overall arrangements. Officials placed special emphasis on maintaining hygiene standards and ensuring an organised system for food distribution to avoid inconvenience to pilgrims. At Sitapur bus parking, the administration assessed passenger facilities, parking operations and crowd management measures. In the Kund area, inspections focused on traffic regulation, sanitation facilities and availability of drinking water, with necessary directions issued to concerned officials to maintain proper standards throughout the yatra period. According to the administration, enhanced efforts have been made this year to ensure that the Kedarnath Yatra is more secure, systematic, and better organised compared to previous years. Speaking exclusively to ANI, Rudraprayag District Magistrate Vishal Mishra said that officials have been deployed across the entire yatra route and continuous on-ground monitoring is being carried out. The token system has been improved to regulate pilgrim flow, preventing overcrowding at the shrine. Adequate forces have been deployed, with two Yatra magistrates stationed at Kedarnath. Additionally, two sector magistrates have been deployed along the road route between Sonprayag and Sitapur. The Char Dham Yatra, one of the most significant religious pilgrimages in India, formally began on April 19 with rituals across multiple shrines. The annual pilgrimage to Kedarnath Temple commenced with the ceremonial departure of the Panchmukhi palanquin of Lord Kedarnath from its winter seat at Omkareshwar Temple. The Uttarakhand Police have made multi-layered arrangements to ensure the safety, smooth movement, and well-organised management of pilgrims visiting the shrines. Earlier, on Sunday, Superintendent of Police (Rudraprayag) Niharika Tomar conducted a foot inspection of the Kedarnath pedestrian route to review preparedness and assess ground-level arrangements. (ANI)
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