Mobile app for Badrinath pilgrims launched

Uttarakhand Government has launched an android-based mobile application to provide Badrinath pilgrims with yatra-related information like availability of ATMs, petrol pumps, hotels and public convenience on the most dangerous 44-km stretch between Joshimath and Badrinath.
Named 'Shubh Badrinath Yatra', the mobile application which provides information related to the Himalayan pilgrimage between Joshimath and Badrinath was launched by Chief Minister Harish Rawat here late last evening.
Developed by the Chamoli district administration for the convenience of pilgrims bound for the Himalayan shrine, the app contains information regarding location of ATMs, petrol pumps, hotels, restaurants, drinking water facilities, public toilets, parking lots, bus and taxi stands on the way, Garhwal Commissioner Chandra Singh Napchyal said.

It can also tell yatris on the go about distance between their present location and Badrinath, and phone numbers which can be very helpful in case of a crisis, he said.
The mobile app will tell pilgrims about alternative routes available in case of a landslide on the way and important villages and ration shops located nearby, he said.
Launched as a pilot project, the app can subsequently be extended with the help of experts to the remaining three Himalayan shrines namely Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri, and other major tourist destinations in the state, the Chief Minister said.