Govt moots fee for online registration for Char Dham yatra

Dehradun: To check fake entries for the Char Dham yatra, Uttarakhand govt is set to introduce a nominal fee for online registration. A panel headed by divisional commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey has been formed to examine the proposal and submit a report.Officials said the move follows instances of pilgrims registering for the yatra but failing to turn up during peak season, leading to confusion in managing the pilgrimage. The directive followed a meeting on Monday chaired by Pandey and Garhwal inspector general Rajeev Swaroop attended by hoteliers, transporters and porter association members.Officials said that the proposed fee is expected to be in the range of Rs 10 to Rs 20. Hoteliers urged the govt to ensure that the measure did not affect pilgrim footfall as it impacted their business, which they said was "limited to a few months each year".Uttarakhand receives nearly 50 lakh pilgrims annually during the Char Dham yatra. Last year, almost 17.7 lakh devotees visited Kedarnath, while 6.44 lakh devotees offered prayers at the Yamunotri Dham.