Despite challenges and security concerns, the police set a record during this year’s Chardham Yatra. Following the heightened vigilance following the Pahalgam terrorist attack, central paramilitary forces were deployed for the first time at all four Dhams. Subsequently, situations like the Dharali disaster were also effectively handled.
All this was possible from a control room established for the first time at the range office. After gathering minute-to-minute information, forces were assigned to the relevant locations. Lokjeet Singh, SP Traffic, Dehradun, the nodal officer for the Chardham Control Room, stated that this year, 59.36 lakh pilgrims registered, of which 51.06 lakh visited the four Dhams.
For real-time monitoring of the Yatra, 1600 CCTV cameras, 13 drones, and headcount cameras, installed for the first time at the Dhams, proved extremely effective. To strengthen traffic management, the entire route was divided into 42 zones, 137 sectors, and 15 super zones.
23 bottlenecks were identified and improved, and 23 new seasonal police posts were established. A total of 6,500 personnel were deployed to ensure smoother Yatra management. Twelve companies of central paramilitary forces and the state ATS were deployed for additional security.
Major activities during the Yatra
Emergency medical assistance was provided to 992 sick pilgrims.
43 critically ill pilgrims were airlifted by heli-ambulance.
16,696 pilgrims stranded during disasters or landslides were safely rescued.
275 lost pilgrims were reunited with their families
