Statewide mock drill held to boost Char Dham Yatra readiness

Time of India

24-04-2025

Dehradun: With an aim to bolster safety and preparedness for the upcoming Char Dham Yatra, a full-scale mock drill was jointly conducted by the
National Disaster Management Authority
(NDMA) and the
Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority
(USDMA) on Thursday. The exercise was carried out at the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) and across all seven districts involved in the annual pilgrimage.
The drill covered the core Char Dham districts — Uttarkashi, Chamoli and Rudraprayag — along with key transit districts, including Dehradun, Haridwar, Pauri and Tehri. It tested the ground-level readiness of various departments operating under the Incident Response System (IRS).
Vinod Kumar Suman, secretary of the state disaster management department, emphasised that the exercise, conducted in close coordination with the NDMA, was meant to assess
emergency response capabilities
and inter-departmental collaboration. "We achieved significant success in coordination, and where shortcomings were identified, relevant departments were directed to address them before the yatra begins," he said.
The operations were led by NDMA principal advisor Major General Sudhir Bahl (retd), who issued a series of recommendations during the post-drill debriefing. He advised integrating police and tourism control rooms with the SEOC for broader monitoring. He also called for the widespread promotion of the Char Dham Yatra mobile app to deliver timely weather alerts, traffic updates, landslide warnings and alternate route guidance.
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Key suggestions included installing mandatory signage in danger zones, conducting fire safety audits for hotels and lodges, deploying earth-moving equipment near landslide-prone areas and setting up communication systems in no-network zones. He also recommended enhanced health facilities for helicopter pilgrims vulnerable to high-altitude sickness, and the establishment of standard operating procedures (SOPs) for helipad safety.
The NDMA also praised the efforts in Badrinath, particularly the crowd management measures implemented by Chamoli district magistrate Sandeep Tiwari. These included improved matting, reinforced railings, benches for elderly pilgrims and additional toilet facilities.