G N G GROUP

Dehradun: Even as the average pilgrim footfall to the four revered shrines have come down from 50,000 to 35,000 per day in the last few days, the  last fews days, the overall turnout this season for the Char Dham Yatra remains significantly high. In the first 50 days of the yatra, 23 lakh peole have visited the four Himalayan shrines.
The yatra recorded its highest-ver turnout in 2019 when 32.41 lakh devotees had visited. According to observers, the 2019 record will be" comfortably broken as the pilgrimage is set to go on for four more months ." From the start of the yatra on may3 to 4pm on june 22, a total  of 7.73  alkh pilgrims have offfered prayers at kedarnath, 8.16 lakh at Badrinath, 468 lakh at Gangotri and 3.15 lakh at Yamuntri taking the figure to in excess of 23 lakh devotees. have visited Hemkund  Sahib, the revered shrine of sikhs which opened this year on may 22. 
 In comparison, the devotee foootfall in 2016 was 14.05 lakh, 21.93 lakh in 2017, 26.22 lakh in 2018 and 32.41 lakh in 2019. The figure recorded in 2019 is the highest till date. The decline in the numbers is mainly due to the arrival of monsoon, officials said, adding that the yatra is expected to gain pace in September. 
Chairman of the Badri Kedar Temple Committee Ajendra Ajay told , "The number has gone above 23 lakh, of which, 15.90 lakh have visited Kedarnath and Badrinath. The response after two years of curtailed yatra has been overwhelming. We have been successful in serving a message of safety and security a message of safety and security to the people across the country."
He pointed out that still four months were left for  the annual pilgrimage and this year there would be a record footfall.