less than a fortnight is left for the start of the Char Dham Yatra this year but the Government is yet to ensure basic facilities like drinking water, medical services and communication system at Joshimath, the major halt on the pilgrimage route to the Badrinath shrine in Chamoli district.
With about two weeks left for the start of the Char Dham Yatra this year, the state of various important facilities has remained disorganised and incomplete. Far from facilitating supply of water at the stand posts it has installed at major spots, the Jal Sansthan has not even fixed faucets on these stand posts yet.
When it comes to the condition of communication service, it has been down for the past one week with none of the officials concerned present to check and ensure the needful. The condition in the electricity department is not much better either with recurring roasting of electricity causing much inconvenience and problems to the public on a routine basis. The health department on the other hand is also citing its inadequacies due to shortage of doctors in the area. The patients here are not being able to even to get their necessary medication on time. The condition of the
Rishikesh-Badrinath national highway number 58 is also known to be in need of improvement at places. local residents state that the present state of disarray and down systems in the important Joshimath area contradicts the claims routinely made by various officials in the administration regarding the condition of facilities and various arrangements for facilitating a secure and convenient Char Dham Yatra.
It is pertinent to mention here that he pilgrimage to Badrinath shrine is slated to start on May 11 with officials at various levels ranging from the State capital Dehradun to the district level including the chief secretary Shatrughna Singh, holding meetings and conducting inspections of the Char Dham Yatra route circuit on many occasions.
The Chief Secretary has also directed the officials concerned to ensure proper arrangements for the pilgrimage but the necessary improvement to be facilitated by various departments is yet to be seen.
Considering the dismal state of basic facilities here with only some days left for start of pilrimage season, it appears as if pilgrims and travelers may face inconvenience during the initial period of the pilgrimage in case the things remain as they presently are. When this correspondent tried to contact the Chamoli district magistrate Vinod Kumar Suman on this issue, his mobile phone was found to be switched off.
Observers point out that at the present rate, delayed work or tasks done in a hurry may result in the creation of varied inconveniences for those undertaking the pilgrimage.