Today in Kedarnath, a helicopter almost crashed but was saved just in time. A transport helicopter took off from Rudraprayag’s helipad with six passengers. As it reached 100 meters high, it started shaking and became unstable. The pilot had to make an emergency landing. The landing was so hard that anything could have happened.
Greed of helicopter companies in Kedarnath :
Maybe you didn’t notice, but the reason is greed. According to the rules, a helicopter can carry five people at a time. However, to make more money, they often take six passengers instead.
In this incident, the helicopter in Tamil Nadu was carrying six passengers. It’s like how buses or auto-rickshaws in your city sometimes carry more people than they should.
These days, in Kedarnath, helicopters are used just like buses or auto-rickshaws.
The pilgrimage to Kedarnath Dham started on the 10th of this month. In just 14 days, around 15,000 people have reached Kedarnath using helicopter services. This number is quite large compared to earlier times when it took a month and a half for 15,000 people to reach Kedarnath.
In the past, the journey to Kedarnath was a tough pilgrimage. People had to walk long and difficult paths. Many faced hardships and some even lost their lives on the way. But now, people have found an easier way by using helicopters. They line up eagerly to take a helicopter ride to Kedarnath.
Now there is no penance to go to Dham :
Now people have found a shortcut for pilgrimage. They line up to go to Kedarnath by helicopter. Think about it, what is the benefit of such a journey without any effort? This pilgrimage is supposed to be a journey of devotion and hard work. But now, the effort has disappeared. It has become a comfortable trip. Many people have made Kedarnath an easy destination. Anyone with some money can take a helicopter or ride on animals to get there. Nowadays, people don’t even want to walk anymore.
In Uttarakhand, the pilgrimage to Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri, and Gangotri begins on the 10th, 11th, and 12th of this month. But in just the past two weeks, almost ten lakh people have already visited these four holy sites. Because of this huge crowd, there are massive traffic jams at these places. There is hardly any space to walk. In Sonprayag, Yamunotri, and Gangotri, the traffic jam stretches for several kilometers.
Think about whether our pilgrimage sites can handle the huge crowds. Right now, thousands of cars are heading to Kedarnath. In the last two weeks, 429,000 people have visited dham. That’s right, 429,000 people in just two weeks! You might think all these visitors are devoted pilgrims.
Why do people go to Temple :
But according to the Uttarakhand police, many of these people go there to make videos for social media, party with their friends, drink alcohol, do drugs, or just pass the time. Some people who are tired of the heat go there to enjoy the cool weather and snow. These are not serious devotees; they lack seriousness. They go there just to take photos, make videos, and have fun. Imagine that in the Kedarnath temple area, 84 people have already been fined for making social media videos.
At the Kedarnath temple, many people make videos for Instagram and YouTube. If you go on these platforms, you’ll find thousands of videos. People are dancing, singing, making videos, and giving updates. They stand there and ask others to follow them, promising regular updates.
Many people have turned this into a business to gain more followers on Instagram and YouTube. Some even come there just for this purpose. Imagine, the police have taken action against people drinking alcohol and causing trouble there. This shows how serious the situation has become at Kedarnath.
There is now a ban on making reels and using mobile phones within 50 meters of the Kedarnath temple. This situation has become very concerning. The large crowds and the craze for making reels are troubling social workers and environmental experts. They say if this crowd is not controlled now, things will get worse in the future. The Char Dham cannot handle this burden, which is also very dangerous for the environment.
10 lakh people registered to go to Kedarnath :
you know, millions of people will arrive there. In just fourteen days, so many people have already reached. Another million people have registered to go to Kedarnath Dham. But how will they get there? There are narrow paths and small roads with not enough hotels or food arrangements for so many people. There aren’t enough cars or taxis either. This is why you see what’s happening on your screen now. If helicopters start running like taxis, it will be a big problem too.