<p class="bodytext">Bus operators on the Chardham Yatra route in Uttarakhand on Tuesday demanded that they should either be permitted to ply buses at full seating capacity or double fares.</p>.<p><strong><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/coronavirus-in-india-live-updates-today-lockdown-50-maharashtra-karnataka-tamil-nadu-mumbai-bangalore-delhi-bengaluru-kolkata-chennai-covid-19-news-world-narendra-modi-843634.html">Follow latest updates on the COVID-19 pandemic here</a></strong></p>.<p class="bodytext">The Himalayan temples of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri in the state are known as the "chardham".</p>.<p class="bodytext">Though a decision is yet to be taken on starting the pilgrimage, the demand comes in the wake of the state government's COVID-19 guidelines which says buses are permitted to ply at half their seating capacity to maintain physical distance between passengers.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Physical distancing is a prevention and a control intervention to decrease contact between people to break the chain of transmission of a disease, in this case the novel coronavirus.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The demand was made by the Chardham Yatra Joint Rotation Travel Arrangement Committee at a meeting here, Regional Transport Officer Dinesh Pathoi said. </p>.<p class="bodytext">The committee consists of 13 private transport companies that ply buses on the Yatra route.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Committee president Sudhir Roy said plying buses at half their capacity at the same old fare is not possible.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Either allow us to ply on the route at our full seating capacity or double the fares," he said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The committee also suggested that a full-scale Yatra should not be started before the end of monsoon, Pathoi said.</p>
<p class="bodytext">Bus operators on the Chardham Yatra route in Uttarakhand on Tuesday demanded that they should either be permitted to ply buses at full seating capacity or double fares.</p>.<p><strong><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/coronavirus-in-india-live-updates-today-lockdown-50-maharashtra-karnataka-tamil-nadu-mumbai-bangalore-delhi-bengaluru-kolkata-chennai-covid-19-news-world-narendra-modi-843634.html">Follow latest updates on the COVID-19 pandemic here</a></strong></p>.<p class="bodytext">The Himalayan temples of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri in the state are known as the "chardham".</p>.<p class="bodytext">Though a decision is yet to be taken on starting the pilgrimage, the demand comes in the wake of the state government's COVID-19 guidelines which says buses are permitted to ply at half their seating capacity to maintain physical distance between passengers.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Physical distancing is a prevention and a control intervention to decrease contact between people to break the chain of transmission of a disease, in this case the novel coronavirus.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The demand was made by the Chardham Yatra Joint Rotation Travel Arrangement Committee at a meeting here, Regional Transport Officer Dinesh Pathoi said. </p>.<p class="bodytext">The committee consists of 13 private transport companies that ply buses on the Yatra route.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Committee president Sudhir Roy said plying buses at half their capacity at the same old fare is not possible.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Either allow us to ply on the route at our full seating capacity or double the fares," he said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The committee also suggested that a full-scale Yatra should not be started before the end of monsoon, Pathoi said.</p>