State police are now gearing up for upcoming Char Dham Yatra slated to resume from April 18. While 79 temporary police posts would be set up along the Char Dham Yatra routes additional police forces would be deployed for traffic management and conducting rescue and relief operation in case of natural disaster and road accidents in the districts concerned, said state additional director general of police (law and order) Ashok Kumar on Tuesday. Notably, Gangotri temple and Yamunotri temple would open for the devotees on April 18 while Kedarnath Temple would reopen on April 29 and Badrinath temple on April 30.
ADG Kumar said that a total of 15 companies and two and half platoons of Provincial Armed Constabulary would be deployed on Char Dham Yatra routes to ensure glitch- free pilgrimage.
“In order to manage traffic system on the pilgrimage routes, traffic police would be deployed at 88 places- four in Pauri district, eight in Uttarkashi, 11 in Tehri, 10 in Chamoli, 42 in Rudraprayag and two check posts in Dehradun,” he said, adding that a total of 84 places has been identified as pressure point in view of traffic congestion during the Yatra season - seven in Chamoli, five in Rudraprayag, seven in Uttarkashi, 11 in Chamoli, 40 in Haridwar, 10 in Dehradun and four in Pauri.
In addition, to facilitate the pilgrims, parking venues have been developed at various places. Two parking venues of capacity 250 vehicles have been set up at Gangotri while six parking venues of capacity 150 vehicles at Yamontri/Janki chatty and three parking venues of the capacity 480 vehicles at Badrinath, he added.
Kumar further said that State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) comprising 315 personnel would be deployed to conduct rescue and relief operation in case of disaster. Two sub-teams have been deployed in Pauri while five in Uttarkashi, three in Tehri, four in Chamoli, three in Dehradun and four in Rudraprayag.
Besides, 170 trained tourist police would be deployed at 65 places along the Char Dham Yatra routes which include 12 tourist police (TP) at three places in Pauri, 28 TP at 14 places in Uttarkashi, 10 TP at six places in Tehri, 18 TP at nine places in Chamoli, 12 TP at six places in Haridwar, 14 TP at eight places in Rudraprayag and 12 TP at nine places in Dehradun. “Tourist police are being trained on how to guide tourists. Besides, they are being given lesson on how to behave rightly with the pilgrims,” he added.