PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun With two weeks left for the winter closure of Kedarnath and six weeks for the winter closure of Badrinath, the pilgrim numbers so far this year have already surpassed the number of visitors to these two Dhams during the entire Yatra period in 2024. Kedarnath will be closed to the public for the winter on October 23 while Badrinath will be closed on November 25. Stating that the weather is pleasant after the recent snowfall at these two Dhams, the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) chairman Hemant Dwivedi also appealed to the pilgrims to visit these two shrines. He informed that a total of 31,15,989 people have visited Badrinath and Kedarnath so far this year. These include more than 16,56,539 who visited Kedarnath and 14,59,450 who visited Badrinath. During the entire Yatra season of 2024, a total of 14,35,341 pilgrims had visited Badrinath while 16,52,076 had visited Kedarnath. The BKTC chairman further claimed that despite natural disasters, the State government working under the chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami’s directions has made proper arrangements for the safety and facilities for pilgrims. The authorities are monitoring the weather condition, deployment of security personnel, clearing of debris in sites vulnerable to landslides, woodstoves, shelters, public health and traffic arrangements to ensure the safety and convenience of the pilgrims, he added.