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Posted Date: 6/05/2021 Posted By: Sikh Tours
As the country is ‘suffering’ from the ‘lockdown’ held due to the pandemic Novel Coronavirus, the Latest News about Hemkund Sahib Yatra 2021 are coming daily. With the lockdown, the pace of Hemkund Yatra preparations has also slowed down. The groups which had made bookings were also cancelled. The widespread of this disease has drastically affected the visit of Sikhs to the holy shrine of Hemkund Sahib. The gates of Gangotri-Yamunotri and Kedarnath Dham have been opened amidst the coronavirus pandemic. However, due to the lockdown, devotees were not allowed to visit.
What were the Hemkund Sahib Yatra Opening Dates in 2021?
Earlier, the gates of Hemkund Sahib were to be opened on June 1 this year, but due to lockdown, it has been changed at the moment. Some time ago, Gurdwara Shri Hemkund Yatra Management Trust decided that the journey to Hemkund Sahib will be started only after getting rid of this global epidemic.
Considering the rise in COVID-19 cases within the country, Shri Hemkund (or hemkunt) Sahib Yatra has been deferred on Sunday. The Yatra for Sri Hemkunt Sahib Gurudwara located in Chamoli district was scheduled to begin on the 10th of May. It is believed that the tenth Sikh guru, Sri Guru Gobind Singh, had meditated at Hemkund Sahib.
When the opening dates were declared, the pilgrims had started researching the good season and forecast for the visit. The management had also decided to facilitate the pilgrims with the food and lodging on the way between Rishikesh and Hemkund Sahib.
What’s happening in Dehradun?
Dehradun’s district authorities have made it mandatory to follow the week-long curfew from Monday evening to tackle the surge in this Wuhan virus’ cases. The curfew can begin at 07 PM on Monday and maintain until 5 AM on May 3, 2021, as per Dehradun DM Ashish Kumar Shrivastava’s order. Moreover, the Health Department of Dehradun has decided to conduct tests of people arriving from Delhi and the Police in Uttarakhand has declared the monitoring of the movement of people’s details.
The order applies to complete the district, together with the Rishikesh Municipal Corporation area, Garhi Cantt and Clement city.
“The personal vehicles’ movement can also stay forbidden, throughout the period. Ration outlets and people merchandising vegetables, fruits and farm merchandise are going to be open until 4 PM. However, medication outlets, filling stations and LPG agencies can stay open throughout the day”, said DM.
Before the contemporary orders, an evening curfew from 7 PM to 5 AM has already been operative in Dehradun.
In Uttarakhand, the positive cases of Covid-19 have risen sharply from the past few days with the most range of infections in Dehradun.
A long-term 'lockdown' on the journey this time is expected
Covid-19 is casting a shadow on the yatra, giving birth to all the Latest News about Hemkund Sahib Yatra 2021. Still, the doors of Gangotri-Yamunotri Dham were opened last Sunday in the silence of the lockdown, but there is a fear of a long 'lockdown' on the journey. May-June booking has been cancelled and September-October booking is also not coming due to fear of this pandemic. Even if such a declared lockdown opens, no one can predict how long the unannounced lockdown of fear will last.
With 1,670 cases, Dehradun diode the COVID tally within the state on Sunday too.
India is witnessing an unusual rise in coronavirus cases and therefore the second wave of the pandemic has gripped the country.
What did the management decide?
Amid Covid-19 cases, the trustees of Gurudwara Shri Hemkund Sahib Management trust on Sunday set to delay the Hemkund Yatra. The Gurudwara trust, in a letter issued on Sunday, maintained that a successive date for the gap of the shrine has not been set and therefore the trust can inform the Sangat (congregation) as and once it's done. Last year too, the gap of the portals of the Hemkund shrine was deferred from May to September.
The devotees from across the globe visit this shrine at a height of more than 15000 every year. The place remains snowy throughout the winters and therefore the thick snow starts melting once April starts.
Mr. Janak Singh Bhatia (Chief, Gurudwara Sri Hemkund Sahib Management Trust) says, “Due to Covid-19 as well as the high snow levels at Shri Hemkund, the management trustees have decided to postpone the Hemkund Sahib Yatra 2021. Whenever, everything will get better, may it be for weather or the pandemic, the pilgrims will be allowed to come and have ‘darshan’ in the Gurudwara, until further orders”. “The situation here is really bad, currently and we do not want the pilgrims to face any kind of loss or inconvenience”, he added. He also appealed to the pilgrims or the Sangat to stay safe and secure.
Taking a look at last year’s situation
Hemkund Sahib witnesses thousands of pilgrims each year, as per the data provided by the tourism department. In 2020, the shrine hosted barely several thousand pilgrims because the doors or kapaat of the gurudwara hemkund Sahib were open only for a little period. Also, the doors were opened late on the 4th of September, for the devotees to visit Shri Hemkund Sahib just because of the ongoing situations of the lockdown due to Covid-19.
As Gangotri and Yamunotri Dham are in the Uttarkashi district, the economy of hoteliers and other people here is completely dependent on travel. There are 520 hotels in Ganga valley and 350 hotels in the Yamuna valley of the district. According to hoteliers, the booking was done in hotels in Ganga-Yamuna valley from April 25 to June 15. As the corona infection spread, all bookings were cancelled. This is the first time in the history of Chardham Yatra, when not a single devotee reached Gangotri and Yamunotri Dham when the gates were opened on April 26.
All in all, the situations are getting worse day by day just because of the lockdown being imposed due to Novel Coronavirus. It is uncertain to declare the stopping of such a situation in the country and when everything would be normal again for the Hemkund Sahib Tour.
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