New permit facility opens at Pithoragarh district hospital for Adi Kailash pilgrims

The Pithoragarh district administration launched a new facility at the district hospital to issue inner line permits for pilgrims to Adi Kailash and Om Parvat, streamlining the application process.

To facilitate the pilgrimage to Adi Kailash and Om Parvat, the Pithoragarh district administration on Sunday launched a new facility, allowing pilgrims to obtain the inner line permit from the district hospital.

The initiative aims to streamline the application process in response to a surge in tourist footfall this pilgrimage season.

District Tourism Officer Kirti Chandra Arya said the new facility has been set up at room number 10 of the Pithoragarh district hospital on the instructions from the district magistrate.

Pilgrims can now obtain their inner line permits from this designated room immediately after completing their mandatory medical fitness tests, the officer added.

The administration issued 1,645 inner line permits on Sunday.

With these fresh registrations, the total number of inner line permits issued since the commencement of the pilgrimage season on May 1 reached 18,561.

''As the flow of pilgrims is on the increase, we have started the facility from Pithoragarh as well,'' Arya added.

The Adi Kailash Yatra began in 1981 following the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. Pilgrim footfall increased significantly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the site in October 2023.