The Nainital High Court has served a contempt notice to the District Magistrate of Rudraprayag, Saurabh Gaharwar, for failing to comply with the order to maintain sanitation on the Kedarnath Yatra track. The notice came after animal welfare activist Gauri Maulekhi filed a contempt petition. Justice Ravindra Maithani asked the DM to provide details of the mechanism in place to ensure regular cleanliness checks along the route and in Kedarnath town. The court may appoint a commissioner to physically verify the implementation of sanitation measures.
In 2013, the management of the Kedarnath Yatra was transferred from the Zila Panchayat to the district magistrate due to the latter’s perceived failure to handle track maintenance and sanitation issues arising from the use of horses and mules. However, the problem of sanitation has persisted and worsened over the past ten years, with animal carcasses, dung, and urine making the Yatra unpleasant and unsanitary for pedestrians.
The petition highlights that 14,000 equines generate 2.5 lakh kilograms of dung and 1.5 liters of urine along the Yatra track, posing a significant environmental challenge. The petition urges the government to manage the waste effectively or reduce the number of horses used for rides to Kedarnath to protect the region’s natural beauty and well-being.
