Char Dham yatra to start today

The Char Dham yatra will start on Wednesday as portals of revered Gangotri and Yamunotri shrines will be thrown open to public in the afternoon amid the blowing of conch shells and beating of drums. Thousands of pilgrims are expected to turn up at the two shrines to get the first glimpse of the deities on the auspicious occasion of Akshay Tritiya.

Urban development minister Madan Kaushik said that a high turnout was expected for the yatra this year as the government had improved facilities for pilgrims. State disaster response force (SDRF) teams have been deployed in 32 locations while a group of 147 ‘tourist cops’ trained in soft skills will assist pilgrims on the Char Dham route.