Amid continuous spike in the cases of Coronavirus in the country, Uttarakhand government decided to suspend the ‘Char Dham Yatra’ to the four Himalayan shrines of Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath. The yatra was scheduled to begin next month.
CM Rawat announced the suspension:
CM Tirath Singh Rawat made the announcement a day after the Uttarakhand high court reprimanded the state for holding Kumbh Mela and becoming a ‘laughing stock’.
“Uttarakhand government has suspended Char Dham Yatra this year in view of COVID-19 situation in the state. Only priests of the four temples will perform rituals and puja,” said Mr Rawat.
However, the portals of the four Himalayan temples known as Chardham will open as scheduled, he said.
CJ RS chauhan & Justice Alok Kumar made oral observation:
The division bench of Chief Justice RS Chauhan and Justice Alok Kumar Verma had made the oral observation that the prospect of conducting the Char Dham Yatra in the midst of a raging pandemic is “a frightening one”.
Coronavirus cases in India:
India on Thursday recorded 3,79,257 new coronavirus cases, taking the total number to 1,83,76,524.
Highest single day rise:
This is the highest single-day rise in cases reported by any country so far, and the eighth consecutive day when India has recorded more than 3 lakh cases.
India also recorded 3,645 deaths in a day for the first time, taking the toll to 2,04,832. The number of active cases has crossed the 30-lakh mark.