Stranded people being rescued after a landslide near Munkatiya between Sonprayag and Gaurikund on the Kedarnath National Highway in Rudraprayag district, on September 10, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI

A day after five pilgrims died in a landslide while returning from the Kedarnath temple, an official in Uttarakhand said pilgrims would now have to wear helmets around the ‘danger zones’ on the yatra route, especially in the rainy season.

Part of the famous Char Dham yatra, the Kedarnath yatra, began on May 10 this year, and over 17 lakh people have visited the temple till September 11, with 83 deaths caused by reasons of poor health. Twelve people have died on the yatra route since May 10, while 20 have been missing for weeks now.

“Pilgrims will be made to travel wearing safety helmets in danger zones, including Sonprayag, Jangalchatti, Rambada, Bhimbali,” District Magistrate-Rudraprayag, Saurabh Gaharwar, under whose jurisdiction the Kedarnath temple falls, said.

The administration has identified 13 danger zones on over the 21-km long Kedarnath yatra route.

Mr. Gaharwar said that an announcement system and ‘alert lights’ would also be used to alert pilgrims who chose to walk to the temple. 

The DM was briefing the Commissioner of the Garhwal Division, Vinay Shankar Pandey, who reached the site near Gaurikund where the landslide had taken place on Monday.

Mr. Pandey reviewed the conditions in the second phase of the yatra, which commenced recently, after restoration work over almost two weeks, following massive damage from rain in the Kedar valley in July. He also conducted a field inspection of the landslide affected area, and reconstruction works between Sonprayag and Gaurikund.

“Arrangements for the safety of devotees travelling on foot to Kedarnath temple will be more robust,” Mr. Pandey said.

Additional District Magistrate Rudraprayag, Shyam Singh Rana, has also directed the Sub-District Magistrate- Ukhimath to conduct an inquiry into the incident.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has also approved ₹30 crore for restoration work at Kedarnath.