By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
The Chardham Yatra in the hill state of Uttarakhand will begin from April 19 with the state government deciding to charge registration fees from pilgrims visiting the four sacred shrines from the next season.
“A minimum registration fee below Rs 100 will be charged from each pilgrim during the coming Char Dham Yatra,” a top tourism official said after a meeting held in Rishikesh chaired by Garhwal Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey with all stakeholders on the preparations for the Chardham yatra.
Pandey said though there will be no limit on the number of pilgrims, the registration will be mandatory for everybody. He stated that a minimum registration fee will be set to strictly prevent fraudulent registrations.
The Chardham Yatra will commence with the opening of the doors of Gangotri and Yamunotri shrines on April 19 coinciding with auspicious occasion of Akshaya Tritiya. The doors of Kedarnath shrine will open for devotees on April 22 while those of Badrinath shrine will open on April 23.
Last year, over 50 lakh pilgrims had visited the Chardham yatra in Uttarakhand.