Rishikesh, Apr 3 (PTI) An association of bus owners operating their vehicles on the Chardham Yatra route on Thursday urged the State Election Commission to conduct panchayat elections in Uttarakhand after June 15.

In a letter to the State Election Commissioner Sushil Kumar Sharma and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, vice president of Transport and Tourism Development Cooperative Society Limited, Naveen Ramola said the pilgrimage rush will be at its peak from April to mid-June and it would not be practical to conduct the three-tier Panchayat elections in the state during the period.

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"The Yatra will be at its peak in May-June. All buses will be busy on the travel route. If the three-tier panchayat elections are conducted during the period, the Chardham Yatra system will be affected badly. The administration will acquire the buses and jeeps engaged in the Chardham Yatra to conduct the elections, which will have a direct adverse effect on the arrangements for the pilgrimage," Ramola said in the letter.

It will also hit the interests of passengers as well as motor owners, he said. Hence, it should be held after June 15, Ramola said in the letter.

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"Usually, the monsoon becomes active after June 15. Travel slows down during the rainy season and buses are empty. In such a situation, motor owners will hardly have any objection to their buses being engaged for election purposes," he said.

When contacted, State Election Commissioner Sushil Kumar Sharma said the matter will be referred to the Uttarakhand government.

"The decision has to be taken by the government," Sharma said.

Chardham yatra is scheduled to begin on April 30 with the opening of the doors of Gangotri and Yamunotri temples.

Preparations are underway in Uttarakhand to conduct the panchayat polls as early as possible. However, the dates have not been decided yet.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)