Uttarakhand: Transport union threatens to boycott Char Dham Yatra

Uttarakhand Transport Mahasangh on Thursday threatened to boycott the upcoming Char Dham Yatra in protest against a government order on mandatory installation of location tracking devices in vehicles operating on the pilgrimage route.

The yatra will begin on April 22 with the opening of the Yamunotri and Gangotri temples. Kedarnath will open on April 25 and Badrinath on April 27.

The State Transport Authority recently decided not to issue green cards to vehicles without a tracking device.

"The timing of the decision is wrong. The Char Dham Yatra is to commence soon and the availability of the location tracking device is limited," Uttarakhand Transport Mahasangh president Sudhir Rai said.

"We will have no choice but to boycott the yatra if vehicles operating on the yatra route are not exempted from this mandatory requirement," Rai said.

Rai also opposed the proposed move to impose a daily limit on the number of pilgrims visiting the Char Dham temples.

"The restriction on the number of pilgrims was imposed due to the Covid pandemic. Now that the pandemic is almost over and its treatment is also available, there is no justification for a daily cap on the number of pilgrims visiting the Himalayan temples," he said.