Devotees across the country and abroad can watch the famous Nanda Devi Raj Jaat Yatra live on television, as the Uttarakhand government has given the direct telecast rights for the pilgrimage to Indian Space Research Organisation.
The 19-day long Yatra scheduled to be held in August this year for the first time after the creation of Uttarakhand, will be telecast live by ISRO, state Science and Technology Minister S S Negi told reporters here yesterday.
Upon accepted a proposal sent by the Uttarakhand Space Application Centre, ISRO has also constituted a team headed by senior scientist Virendra Kumar to oversee live coverage of the event, also known as the Kumbh of the Himalayas, Negi said after a meeting with ISRO officials here.
Satellite terminals will be set up by ISRO for live coverage along the Chamoli route of the yatra which is held every 12 years in Garhwal Himalayas, he added.
The minister said ISRO will also provide extended C-Band facility to the state to ensure high-definition audio and video quality in its coverage of the event.
The yatra, a 19-day-long trek through some of the most tough terrains of the hill state, is being held for the first time after Uttarakhand became a separate state in November 2000 after the bifurcation of Uttar Pradesh.
Covering a distance of 280 km, the yatra symbolises the departure of Nanda Devi, an incarnation of Goddess Parvati, to her in-law's place or the abode of Lord Shiva who is believed to be residing in the Himalayas.
The pilgrimage begins, led by a four-horned ram (male sheep), from Nauti village near Karnaprayag in Chamoli district at an altitude of 1,500 metres and concludes on the 19th day at Hemkund located at a height of 4,950 metres.
Chief Secretary Alok Kumar Jain also held a meeting with scientists from USAC and ISRO, Hyderabad, to discuss the plan for setting up telecommunication linkages during the yatra.
USAC, with technical support from ISRO has also prepared a route map and a web portal for the yatra.
The chief secretary said it was important to develop a satellite communication system to mitigate disasters and help in rescue efforts in the state, adding that satellite phones and other equipment would also be made available by June.
USAC Director M M Kimothi said in August and September, all communication linkages and live telecast equipment like 18 OBC vans would be placed on the route which will have five control rooms.
