At a time when resumption of the Char Dham Yatra is not far, some of the water taps and stand-posts set up by the department concerned in Joshimath are yet to be made fully operational. Questions are being raised at the Governmental efforts towards facilitation of water supply at important stops on the pilgrimage circuit and various places across the State.
Joshimath is a major stop for travelers going to Badrinath and the pilgrimage centre at the lokpal shrine to lakshman and the Hemkund Sahib Gurudwara. The officials concerned have started the annual feature of holding rounds of meetings in the district and State capital Dehradun and reviewed Yatra arrangements but the actual condition on the ground is yet to be facilitated as required.
It is pertinent to mention here that Joshimath is a major town on the pilgrimage to Badrinath as it is from this town that the gate system is implemented for vehicular traffic to and from Badrinath. The travelers and pilgrims often stay for some time in Joshimath while waiting for their turn through the gate. With the Badrinath shrine slated to be reopened to the public in the first fortnight of next month on May 11, concern is being expressed in the public sphere considering the state of drinking water supply especially at major locations preferred by the tourists.
The situation can be gauged considering that faucets have not yet been fixed on stand posts erected by the department to provide water in such places. locals state that if the required work is not completed soon, travelers and pilgrims may face inconvenience in trying to access water in this area. When this correspondent sought information on this issue from the departmental junior engineer Sandeep Arya, the official stated that painting work was currently being undertaken on these stand posts due to which the facility could not be made operational till now.
It should be mentioned here that Uttarakhand has suffered from drought conditions this year which has exacerbated problems related to supply of water. It now remains to be seen whether the authorities are able to ensure the provision of necessary water supply for both the local residents and visitors in time for the Char Dham Yatra.