Dehradun, September 17: The Char Dham Yatra will begin from September 18, said Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.

The state government has started preparing for the yatra after the decision of the Nainital High Court to lift the ban on the pilgrimage.

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The Nainital High Court on Thursday lifted the ban on Char Dham Yatra and allowed only fully Covid vaccinated people with a mandatory COVID-19 negative report for the annual pilgrimage. The court ordered devotees to follow strict COVID-19 protocols and limited the number of visitors too.

The Tourism Department of the state will issue a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in this regard on Friday.

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Meanwhile, the Chief Secretary Dr SS Sandhu has also reviewed the preparations for Char Dham Yatra and has given necessary instructions by holding a meeting with the officials of various departments related to travel including Tourism and Devasthanam Management Board.

Sandhu also instructed the District Magistrates of Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Uttarkashi and Pauri to make arrangements for road safety, cleanliness, crowd management, traffic arrangements, testing and compliance with the rules of Covid-19 on the Char Dham Yatra route.

The Char Dham Yatra attracts lakhs of tourists and devotees every year from across the country and abroad.

The four pilgrimage sites in Uttarakhand which are part of the yatra are Badrinath, Kedarnath, Yamunotri, and Gangotri.

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