Chardham Yatra; Road incomplete, hotels suffering from disaster

New cracks on the main road going to Badrinath via Joshimath for Chardham Yatra can become a cause of danger. The work on the 15 km all-weather road from Helang to Joshimath has not been completed yet. This road is also in bad condition. Joshimath is the main stop for the Chardham Yatra starting on 22 April. From here devotees go to Badrinath and Hemkund.
Most of the hotels and homestays in Joshimath have accommodated the disaster-affected people. All of them are already full. In such a situation, the problem of the stay of the devotees is also likely to arise.
On Wednesday, on the second day of online registration, about 75 thousand people registered. Online booking of the guest house of Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam has been done. Almost all the guest houses are eighty percent full for the next three months.
Amid demands to limit the number of pilgrims in Badrinath, Tourism Department MD Banshidhar Tiwari said that at present no such decision has been taken. He said that the department has not only increased the number of its hotels but all the hotels and homestays around Joshimath are also in sufficient numbers.
A maximum of 10 lakh vehicles reach Badrinath Dham. Most of these are private vehicles. Many people arrive by booking a taxi. Last year only 6,000 buses of Garhwal Motors Honors, which were booked from Haridwar and Rishikesh to Badrinath, reached Joshimath and Badrinath.
Atul Sati, convenor of the Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti, alleges that the government's claims that arrangements have been made in Joshimath are wrong. A week back, new cracks appeared in the main road of the Badrinath, Marwari and Singhdwar temples. The number of devotees should be limited. Balbir Negi of Joshimath says that if the number is not limited, there will be chaos.