Garhwal commissioner named nodal officer for Char Dham crisis management

Dehradun: Chief secretary Anand Bardhan on Saturday appointed the Garhwal commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey as the nodal officer for all crisis management efforts during the Char Dham yatra, to ensure a swift and effective response to any emergency.
All four Dhams, Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath, are in the Garhwal region. With the commissioner already overseeing preparations and logistics, he was also given this key responsibility.
During the meeting, Bardhan directed authorities that the hospital under construction in Kedarnath be made operational before the yatra commences. He stressed on the need for preventive measures for a safe journey and instructed officials to increase the number of health check-up centres. As per his directives, additional centres will be set up in Haridwar, Rishikesh, and Vikasnagar.
In the meeting at the secretariat, the CS collected feedback from secretary Yugal Kishore Pant on the Dehradun to Kedarnath route, secretary R Rajesh Kumar on Badrinath route, secretary B V R C Purushottam on Gangotri Dham preparations, and Neeraj Khairwal on Yamunotri Dham.
Bardhan then asked district officials to act on the recommendations shared by the secretaries and address any deficiencies without delay. He urged all executing agencies to "take their responsibilities seriously and complete work within the stipulated timeframe."
To enhance communication with pilgrims, especially during delays caused by accidents or landslides, Bardhan suggested creating a system to share real-time updates. He recommended installing digital display boards along the Yatra routes. "Until this system is in place, information should be provided via bulk SMS and WhatsApp messages," he added.