Uttarakhand: Preparations for Char Dham Yatra in final stages; registration to be verified

Dehradun: The preparations for the upcoming Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand are in their final stages, with the registration of the pilgrims pending verification, officials said.
For verification, scanner machines will be installed at Barkot for Yamunotri, Hina for Gangotri, Sonprayag for Kedarnath and Pandukeshwar for Badrinath. According to officials, there will be 3-way verification of registration of pilgrims for the Char Dham Yatra.
Passenger wrist band, and a copy of physical registration will be deemed valid and a pilgrim's registration will be verified by scanning the QR code on mobile.
Meanwhile on Thursday, Uttarakhand Health Secretary Dr R Rajesh Kumar inspected Health ATMs installed at sub-district hospital Srinagar and base hospital Srikot, ahead of the annual prilgrimage.
During his inspection, Kumar also gave necessary guidelines to the hospital administration for the smooth functioning of the Health ATMs, asking officials to keep a technical person posted at these ATMs for the convenience of the Char Dham pilgrims.
The Health secretary said, "I asked the chief medical officer, Pauri, to work with the paramedical staff in making travel arrangements and ensuring other necessary preparations. As many as 50 health ATMs have been set up by Hewlett Packard Enterprises under (Corporate Social Responsibility) CSR in various medical units identified in the Garhwal division, on the Yatra route, for regular health check-up of pilgrims. Parameters like blood pressure, sugar level, body temperature, oxygen content, body fat, and 70 free tests, including index, dehydration, and pulse rate, will be done."
"Healthcare services are being improved on the Yatra route, and the number of Health ATMs will be increased in the coming days. The health officer was also directed to run an intensive checking campaign of food items in various hotels, dhabas and restaurants by putting together a team on the prilgrimage route in the Pauri district," he said.
Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said the state government has made all arrangements to ensure a smooth and hassle-free Char Dham pilgrimage this year.
"All preparations for Char Dham Yatra have been completed. More than 12 lakh pilgrims have registered and we have made all arrangements to ensure that everyone has a smooth and hassle-free journey to the pilgrimage sites," Dhami told ANI.
On Sunday, Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) president Ajendra Ajay visited the temple along with officials of various departments and inspected ongoing reconstruction works while also reviewing the travel arrangements for pilgrims.
The doors of Kedarnath Dham will open on April 25 and those of Badrinath Dham will be thrown open on April 27. (ANI)