The sight of the devastated Kedarnath shrine was heart-rending. We were on the initial stage of the Char Dham yatra on June 17. We could not proceed further from Haridwar. The Uttarakhand tragedy has given rise to several issues. For example, there are no official guidelines for the pilgrims who undertake the Char Dham yatra. There is no monitoring of age and health conditions as in the case of Kailash Mansarovar.
At least some basic guidelines should be laid down for the Char Dham yatra as it is to do with high altitude and general fitness. We can restrict the sick from undertaking the pilgrimage.
Banu Shridhar,
Chennai
