Dehradun: In India, the concept of ‘Jugaad’ seems to have crept into our lives, even when we are on a pilgrimage.
On Friday, the Uttarakhand Police stopped two ambulances speeding towards Kedarnath Dham with their sirens blaring. On opening the doors, pilgrims poured out.
Officials have said that such activities pose a security threat. Terrorists can get close to the Kedarnath shrine, using the same modus operandi.
The pilgrims told the police that they had hired the ambulances to avoid traffic jams and reach the shrine ahead of others. The temple opened after its annual six-month closure on May 2.
“The pilgrims hired the ambulances in Haridwar. They knew that other vehicles would make way for ambulances. There would also be no checking by the authorities. We have impounded both vehicles. While one of them is from Uttar Pradesh, the other is registered in Rajasthan,” a senior police officer said.
True to their belief, the ambulances crossed all checkposts without any trouble till they reached Sonprayag. This is the place from where pilgrims change vehicles for their journey to Gaurikund, about five km away.
When the ambulances tried to rush through, the Sonprayag police had their doubts. In case of any illness or accident between Sonprayag and the Kedarnath temple, all police checkposts along the route down to Rishikesh and Haridwar are alerted. The Sonprayag police had received no alert.
“This is when the ambulances were stopped and checked. The pilgrims were allowed to leave, but the drivers were fined,” the official said.
Kedarnath is about 239 km from Haridwar. The trip by road up to Gaurikund normally takes about 5-6 hours. There is a trek of 16 km beyond Gaurikund. The pilgrims seem to have covered the 234-odd km from Haridwar to Sonprayag in less than four hours in relative comfort.
Officials have also pointed to a major security breach that could have taken place, given the Pahalgam terror strike that occurred on April 22. All vehicles are stopped by police for checks at Byasi, Devprayag, Srinagar, Rudraprayag, Tilwara, Augustmuni, Guptkashi and Phata, but nobody thought of looking inside an ambulance.
