A total of 99 pilgrims have lost their lives during the Char Dham yatra this year, since the pilgrimage began in May, officials said. The toll rose after eight more people died during the Yatra on Saturday.
“We are making all possible all efforts to prevent the death of the pilgrims most of whom are elderly persons. Our medical staff along with para-medical staff deployed on the Char Dham routes are conducting medical screening at various places,” Shailja Bhatt, director general health said, according to Hindustan Times.
Meanwhile, another seven trekkers have gone missing on Pandav Shera trek in Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag district, officials reportedly said.
The State Disaster Response Force was informed about the incident and a High-Altitude Rescue team was sent in a Chopper to Rudraprayag to launch a search and rescue operation on Saturday evening.
Cause of Concern
Though the death of pilgrims on way to the high-altitude shrines in Uttarakhand due to cardiac problems is something which happens every year, the toll is unusually high this season after the yatra commenced on May 3 with the opening of the Yamunotri and Gangotri temples.
Pradeep Bhardwaj, who heads Six Sigma Healthcare that provides free medical facilities in Kedarnath, attributed the high number of deaths to a combination of factors, including absence of an acclimatisation mechanism, weak immunity of pilgrims most of whom have Covid history, precarious weather and inadequate arrangements considering the heavy rush of pilgrims.
A look at the data of pilgrim deaths in previous years shows that over 90 Char Dham devotees died in 2019, 102 in 2018 and 112 in 2017 during the entire season which lasts nearly six months from April-May to October-November every year.
“As most of the pilgrims are not used to such high altitudes, they should be given a break in their journey at lower heights to help them acclimatise themselves with the kind of weather they are going to confront in higher altitudes. “They are not able to cope with the abrupt climatic change that they experience after coming from lower altitudes to the Himalayan temples located averagely at a height of 10,000 to 12,000 ft,” Bhardwaj, a qualified doctor told PTI. He said many pilgrims do not come with proper clothing as they are not aware of the extreme cold conditions prevailing in the high altitudes.
He added that many of those who died on way to Kedarnath died of hypothermia which is caused by extreme cold conditions. Weak immunity of pilgrims who have Covid history is another reason for the high number of casualties.
Some Travelling with Fake Registration Documents
A case under section 420 of the IPC was registered here against unidentified persons after fake registration documents for char dham yatra were recovered from some pilgrims. Fake registration documents were recovered from six pilgrims travelling by a bus at Bhadrakali checkpost during a checking conducted in the presence of Garhwal commissioner Sushil Kumar and DIG Garhwal KS Nagnyal.
Some cyber cafes are suspected of issuing fake registration documents to pilgrims, Garhwal Commissioner Sushil Kumar said. Pilgrims from whom fake registration documents were recovered were asked to return. A case under section 420 of the IPC has been registered against unidentified persons at the Muni-ki-Reti police station in connecton with this, he said.
60 Mules Died in 20 Days
Reports claimed that mules used for ferrying pilgrims and provisions to Kedarnath, were dying of exertion and poor diet. According to a report in Times of India, 60 mules had died in Kedarnath in 20 days of yatra.
State minister of animal husbandry Sourabh Bahuguna said that he would visit the temple town to probe the situation first-hand.
Bahuguna said that the percentage of deaths this year is less compared to 2018-19 or 2019-20. BJP MP and animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi has called up state tourism minister Satpal Maharaj regarding the deaths of mules.
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