Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], June 1 (ANI): Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has said that Shri Kedarnath Dham Yatra has become the axis of faith and culture of Uttarakhand. The government's goal is not only to provide facilities to the pilgrims, but also to economically empower the local youth, women and traders.

CM Dhami said, 'We are trying to take every possible step towards making the journey safe, smooth and prosperous. Shri Kedarnath Dham Yatra is setting new records every year. On the one hand, while the number of devotees arriving from the country and abroad to visit Baba Kedarnath is setting new records, the employment of local people is also getting continuous benefits from the increasing travel.'

'On the other hand, the government is also getting huge revenue from the facilities being provided by the government administration to the devotees arriving on the Yatra. One month has passed since Baba's doors opened, and in this one month, from government facilities to local traders, they have done business of more than two billion. Since the beginning of the month of June, the number of devotees has started increasing continuously, which will benefit the local traders and women self-help groups,' he said.

For the year 2025, the doors of Baba Kedarnath Dham were opened for the devotees on May 2. One month has passed since the doors of Baba were opened. On Sunday, June 1, the number of devotees visiting Baba Kedarnath Dham has crossed 7 lakh. If the average of the last one month is taken, then 24 thousand devotees have reached Kedarpuri for Baba's darshan every day.

Shri Kedarnath Dham Yatra is one of the most difficult religious pilgrimages in the country. After crossing a difficult walking route of about 20 kilometres, one can have darshan of the 11th Jyotilinga situated in the lap of the Himalayan mountains. Horses and mules play a very important role in this difficult religious journey on foot. Incapable and elderly devotees often travel through them, while food items and other essential items are transported to the Yatra route and Kedarpuri by these horses and mules.

Chief Veterinary Officer Dr. Ashish Rawat said that till May 31, 1,39,444 pilgrims have reached for darshan through horses and mules, through which an income of more than 40 crore 50 lakhs has been received. He said that this year, due to the infectious disease equine influenza virus, horse mule operation was also affected for a few days.

Heli services have an important role in the Shri Kedarnath Dham Yatra. Through heli services, devotees who are unable to travel on foot in any condition get a chance to see Baba. At the same time, heli services are playing an important role in the rescue operation. Every day two to three people facing medical emergencies are rescued to higher centers on time through heli services.

District Tourism Officer and Nodal Heli Service Rahul Chaubey said that this year, eight heli companies are operating from nine helipads. Till May 31, about 33,000 devotees have reached Baba Kedarnath Dham through heli services, due to which an income of about Rs 35 crore has been received. Chaubey appealed to the devotees to book heli booking from the official website of IRCTC.

The operation of dandi-kandi is as important as the operation of horses and mules on the Shri Kedarnath Dham foot journey route. Many devotees who are unable to walk prefer to travel by dandi-kandi instead of dandi-kandi. It is also considered safer for small children. Apart from this, many devotees travel on foot themselves and reach Kedarpuri with the help of only similar dandi-kandi.

Additional Chief Officer District Panchayat Rudraprayag Sanjay Kumar said that more than 7000 dandi-kandi operators are registered for this year's journey. Till May 31, 29275 devotees have traveled through dandi-kandi, from which an income of one crore 16 lakh, 89 thousand 100 rupees has been received. At the same time, fines of Rs 2,26,000 have also been collected by challaning various establishments for spreading dirt and violating other rules.

Assistant Transport Officer Rudraprayag Kulwant Singh Chauhan said that this year 225 vehicles are registered for the shuttle service in Shri Kedarnath Dham Yatra. Devotees reach Gaurikund from Sonprayag in these vehicles.

So far more than seven lakh devotees have reached Shri Kedarnath Dham. Every pilgrim has to pay 50 rupees for going and 50 rupees for returning to Sonprayag. Till June 1, 7 lakh devotees have reached the Dham, which means till now taxi operators have earned about 7 crore rupees through shuttle service. This year, taking a new initiative, 25 vehicles have been reserved for women and the elderly. An average of 10 passengers can travel in each vehicle. Stickers have also been put on these vehicles. In the first phase, only 25 vehicles have been taken for this. If the experiment is successful and the need for more vehicles is felt, then the number of vehicles can be increased. (ANI)