Businesses in Haridwar look forward to brisk income in Yatra season

Though the Char Dham pilgrimage is yet to gain its momentum with two of the shrines yet to open, the people of the holy city, particularly the traders, the travel agents and the hoteliers, are looking happy in anticipation of heavy pilgrim footfalls this season. While registration of the pilgrims has started at the registration counters set up at the railway station and the tourist information offices the travel agents are dishing out lucrative tour offers and the hoteliers are readying themselves to welcome the expected huge hordes of pilgrims. The traders are also in a happy mood as they have already started having brisk business with the pilgrims trickling in. One of them said that as the pilgrimage would gain its full momentum after the portals of Kedarnath and Badrinath reopen the real rush would begin. “We expect a larger turnout this season as compared to the last season,” said one of them. However, the district administration is keeping a vigil to ensure that the pilgrims are not overcharged by the hoteliers and others. The district administration has already issued strict instruction to the hotels and travel agencies to fix their rates and display them on the notice boards so that the pilgrims do not feel cheated on any front. The pilgrimage has officially started on Tuesday as the first batch of the pilgrims embarked on the pilgrimage following a ceremonial reception at Mayadevi temple. 

Notably, the portals of two of the four revered shrines- Gangotri and Yamunotri-reopened on April 18 while those of Badrinath and Kedarnath would reopen on April 28 and 29 respectively. Anup Kumar of Ganga Travels said, “We are waiting for April- end when the pilgrimage would take its real shape,” he said.   

The district administration is active now as the pilgrims over the previous years faced problem as the travel operators made them to shell out much more than what the fare should have been while ferrying them to the shrines. There were even instances of the drivers leaving them midway despite making them to cough up the inflated fare. “We are alert to stop recurrence of such incidents this time,” said a senior district administration officer.

The president of Haridwar Tour and Travel Association Umesh Paliwal said while talking to The Pioneer on Tuesday that the pilgrims must contact the travel agencies which are registered with the Uttarakhand tourism department.  “Haridwar alone has over 100 such registered agencies.

They should by all means avoid the unregistered agencies which might trouble them with overcharging and the like. In case similar problems come up for the pilgrims  with the registered agencies the  office bearers  would promptly act  when approached,” he added.

He further said that the fares are fixed. “While it is in the range of Rs 2500 to Rs 3500 per day for the smaller vehicles it is from Rs 4000 to Rs 5000  for  the bigger vehicles per day.  A tempo might charge anything up to Rs 6000 per day,” he said.

The district tourism department says that tourist information centres have been set up near the railway and the bus stations to help the pilgrims contact the officers in case they are inconvenienced.

The district tourism officer Jaspal Singh Chauhan said, “We are providing  materials to the pilgrims on the pilgrimage routes, landmarks falling en route and location of hotels and refreshment centres located on the way.

We are leaving no stone unturned to ensure that the pilgrimage is glitch- free.”He further advised the pilgrims to avail the   online booking option, saying that it would save them both  time and energy.