DEHRADUN: With pilgrim inflow to Char Dham crossing 2.5 lakh in the last fortnight itself, tourism minister Satpal Maharaj asked the district administration to regulate inflow of pilgrims in Rishikesh.The minister said, “People have taken note of great significance of Char Dham destinations in the state after the President and Prime Minister visited Badrinath and Kedarnath, respectively. But, seeing people waiting in long queues for darshan, I have given strict instructions to regulate tourists’ inflow in Rishikesh itself.”As religious gurus Murari Bapu and Swami Avdeshanand having their discourses lined up at Kedarnath, the minister asked them to make their own arrangements for tents and food.“Murari Bapu and Swami Avdeshanand have huge following, and thousands of people will come along with them, but there is an arrangement for lodging of only 4,000 pilgrims at Kedarnath. So, I have asked the gurus to make arrangements for food and accommodations on their own, whereas the state government will be able to provide just little.”He said, soon arrangements would be made for disabled people to get inside Char Dham temples. Similarly, keeping diabetic patients in consideration, special desserts and rice would be served in canteens run by the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam eatery at Kedarnath.He said ropeways could be good option for Kedarnath, while a similar project was in progress at Hemkund Sahib.

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