The Uttarakhand High Court on Tuesday removed the daily limit on the number of devotees that can visit the four temples during the Char Dham Yatra, PTI reported.
On September 16, the High Court had imposed a daily limit of 1,000 visitors at Badrinath, 800 at Kedarnath, 600 at Gangotri and 400 at Yamunotri.
The state government also told the court that only three people will be allowed to enter the sanctum sanctorum of the shrines at a time.
The Uttarakhand government also said that registration and an e-pass will be necessary for devotees, ANI reported. The visitors will also need to produce proof of complete vaccination, or have a negative Covid-19 report that is not older than 72 hours.
Police personnel will be stationed at Chamoli, Rudraprayag and Uttarkashi districts to monitor the pilgrimage, according to PTI.
On June 28, the court had stopped the pilgrimage saying that the lives of citizens may be exposed to the risks posed due to the coronavirus and a potential third wave of Covid-19.
The judges had observed that the administration in Haridwar and Rishikesh had “singularly failed” to implement the guidelines during the Kumbh Mela held in April that led to a surge in Covid-19 cases.
The blatant violation of Covid-19 protocols at the Kumb Mela held in April during the devastating second wave of the coronavirus also gained global attention.
Many had pointed out how the gathering increased the chance of a surge in infections. However, the state authorities tried to downplay the risks.
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