Dehradun, Sep 15 (PTI) Uttarakhand Congress president Karan Mahara on Sunday alleged that the state government is being autocratic with all sections, including businessmen, horse-mule operators, and priests on the Kedarnath Yatra route.
After concluding the Kedarnath Pratishtha Raksha Yatra on Friday, Mahara talked to priests and local businessmen regarding their problems.
Addressing a press conference here, the state unit president of the Congress said that in Kedarnath “every section is becoming a victim of the government’s autocracy.” He alleged that the Kedarnath Yatra was hampered due to registration of pilgrims, which also affected the local traders.
The Congress leader claimed that traders are angry as they are not able to pay instalments of the loan they have taken from the bank.
Mahara alleged that local traders were charged Rs 80,000 per tent but they suffered heavy losses due to “improper management” of the pilgrimage.
He further alleged that the administration issued a challan of Rs 5,900 for each makeshift shop and after that the Forest Department too issued a challan of Rs 10,000 to the same shopkeepers.
“It is clear from this that there is no coordination between the government departments due to which the local youth are being economically exploited,” he said.
Mahara said the government charged Rs 300 per round from the horse-mule operators but even after that, challans of Rs 1000-Rs 2000 are being issued to them “illegally” at various places, which is “sheer injustice”.
He alleged that in the name of reconstruction at the Kedarnath Dham, “injustice” is being done to priests and other stakeholders. PTI DPT MNK MNK
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