Dehradun, July 28 (IANS) Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday instructed officials to maintain adequate arrangements at key temples in the state, witnessing a huge influx of devotees and also asked them to scale up the facilities, in case of any exigency. The instructions were issued by the Chief Minister during a high-level meeting of concerned departments at the state secretariat on Monday. The religious places which are witnessing huge turnouts of devotees include Mansa Devi in Haridwar, Chandi Devi Temple, Kainchi Dham in Nainital, Jageshwar Temple in Almora, Neelkanth Mahadev Temple in Pauri and other famous temples.

Over the next few days, they will see increased attention and monitoring from the government authorities. CM Pushkar Dhami said that crowd management, devotee registration, widening of walkways and stairs, removal of encroachment and availability of all other basic facilities should be ensured in these temples, so that the devotees get a smooth and safe darshan experience. He directed that a committee be formed under the chairmanship of the commissioners of both divisions. The District Magistrates of the respective districts, Senior Superintendents of Police, Vice Presidents of Development Authorities and representatives of implementing agencies would be included as members in this committee.

CM Dhami, while emphasising the planned development of the Mansa Devi temple complex and other major temple complexes, said that the darshan system should be strengthened, well-organised and made smooth for the devotees. He said that the registration of devotees should be made mandatory, and an effective system for crowd control must be brought in to avoid any inconvenience to other devotees. The guidelines to regulate pilgrims’ flow assume significance in the wake of the stampede in Haridwar’s Mansa Devi temple on Sunday, which left eight devotees dead.

Apart from this, the Chief Minister also issued instructions to make the conversion law stricter in the state. CM Dhami said that Uttarakhand is a border state as well as the holy land of Sanatan Dharma, and any attempt to change the demography should be strictly stopped. He said that the police should keep an eye on such suspicious activities. CM Dhami also told the officials that the Operation Kalanemi has been successful in curbing anti-social elements and called for taking the drive forward.