Ambulances Into Taxis: To avoid traffic bottlenecks and reach Kedarnath Dham faster, the devotees decided to take the emergency route and hired two ambulances. They rented the vehicles on June 14 during their journey from Haridwar to the Kedarnath shrine in Uttarakhand. With a clear goal, to bypass traffic and arrive early, they used the ambulances as taxis.

The pilgrims knew that ambulances, meant for transporting the sick, usually passed through checkpoints without police interference. So, they boarded the ambulances, switched on the sirens, and hit the road. However, their plan failed when the Sonprayag police caught them. Officers confiscated both ambulances and issued challans to the drivers for misuse.

Also Read: Air Ambulance Crashes in Kedarnath, Crew Safe

Sonprayag Police Report:

The two ambulances safely crossed each checkpoint one after another until the Sonprayag police grew suspicious. During any emergency or when a devotee falls ill on the Gaurikund to Kedarnath route, police alert all checkpoints. However, Sonprayag police had received no prior information about these two ambulances. When they spotted the vehicles speeding with sirens blaring, they stopped them immediately.

To their surprise, they found devotees relaxing in the air-conditioned ambulances. The first vehicle, registered as RJ14 PF 2013, came from Rajasthan, while the second, UK08 PA 1684, came from Haridwar. Police penalized the drivers and impounded both ambulances under the Motor Vehicles Act. Normally, areas like Haridwar, Rishikesh, Byasi, Devprayag, Srinagar, Rudraprayag, Tilwara, Augustmuni, and Guptkashi Phata maintain strict police checks. But possibly due to the situation, local officers didn’t stop the vehicles earlier. The gates of the Kedarnath shrine opened on May 2 and will remain open until the closing ceremony in November.

Also Read: Helicopter With 7 Onboard Crashed Near Gaurikund

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