Dehradun, May 11 -- Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday said the Char Dham Yatra is being conducted smoothly while refuting media reports of suspension of helicopter services to shrines amid escalating tensions with Pakistan and said the public shouldn't pay attention to rumours. "The Char Dham Yatra is being conducted smoothly across the state. So far, more than 4 lakh (400,000) devotees have visited the holy shrines. Helicopter services to Shri Kedarnath Dham are also fully operational. We request you not to pay attention to any kind of rumors. The state government is continuously making efforts to make your pilgrimage safe and convenient. For any information or assistance, you may call the helpline numbers 1364 and 0135-1364," Dhami posted on X. The CM's statement came after some media reported that helicopter services to Char Dham had been suspended until further orders. Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority CEO Sonika (who goes by her first name) said, "Helicopter operations for the Char Dham Yatra are running smoothly. There was a temporary halt earlier due to some No Objection Certificates (NOCs) and clearances, but operations are now proceeding without issues." The Char Dham Yatra began on April 30 with the opening of Yamunotri and Gangotri temples. The Kedarnath temple opened on May 2, and Badrinath Dham May 4. Last year, 4.8 million pilgrims visited Char Dham shrines and Hemkund Sahib shrine since the opening of the portals on May 10. Out of 4.8 million pilgrims who visited Char Dham shrines, 1.42 million visited Badrinath, 183722 visited Hemkund Sahib, 1.65 million visited Kedarnath, 0.81 million visited Gangotri Dham and 0.71 million visited Yamunotri Dham. In 2023, Char Dham yatra broke all previous records with pilgrim influx crossing the 5.6 million mark, according to tourism department officials. Amid the ongoing Operation Sindoor, the state government deployed additional companies of paramilitary forces in the Char Dham Yatra apart from the eight that were deployed earlier since the start of the pilgrimage. "We had earlier deployed eight companies of paramilitary forces in the Char Dham yatra. The state has received additional seven companies after India carried out Operation Sindoor. These companies mainly have been deployed for the Char Dham Yatra, apart from Purnagiri fair in Tanakpur (Udham Singh Nagar)," state home secretary Shailesh Bagauli said. Uttarakhand director general of police Deepam Seth said amid the Operation Sindoor, all units of the police department in the state have been placed on high alert. "We are maintaining a strict surveillance at sensitive institutions, religious places, and inter-state borders," he said....