Rishikesh
Arunoday Times
September 12, 2026: The Board of Directors of the Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) held a meeting at the Transit Camp office in Rishikesh on Saturday under the chairmanship of Hemant Dwivedi.
The meeting reviewed the progress of decisions taken in the previous board meeting and discussed various proposals related to pilgrimage management, temple development and administrative matters.
Addressing the meeting, BKTC Chairman Hemant Dwivedi expressed gratitude to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Tourism Minister Satpal Maharaj for their guidance in the successful conduct of the 2026 Char Dham Yatra.
According to BKTC, more than 50 lakh pilgrims have visited Char Dham and Hemkund Sahib so far, while over 32 lakh devotees have visited Badrinath and Kedarnath. More than 60 lakh registrations have also been recorded for the Char Dham Yatra.
Badrinath has recorded 17,22,908 pilgrims, while 14,92,047 devotees have visited Kedarnath so far. BKTC has received revenue of more than ₹76 crore from the two shrines.
Dwivedi said that pilgrimage numbers have increased by around 20 per cent compared to last year, with nearly two months still remaining before the closure of the shrine portals.
Focus on Second Phase of Yatra
The board discussed strengthening arrangements for the second phase of the pilgrimage, including crowd management, CCTV surveillance, the travel SOP and modernization of the BKTC website.
Proposals were also discussed to make the donation counting process more transparent and to rename the Sanskrit College at Shonitpur in Guptkashi after late BKTC member Srinivas Posti.
The board approved proposals related to the second phase of renovation of Omkareshwar Temple in Ukhimath, renovation of Tungnath Temple, and development of Triyuginarayan Temple as a wedding destination.
Several employee-related matters, including regularization of temporary employees, equal pay for equal work, promotions and financial assistance to families of deceased temporary employees, were also discussed.
The board further approved proposals concerning crowd-management experts, amendments to employee service rules and the establishment of a Vedic Sanskrit college.
The meeting was conducted by BKTC Chief Executive Officer Sohan Singh Rangad and attended by the committee’s office-bearers, members and senior officials.
