Work begins to link Kedarnath with Rambara
The Uttarakhand government will soon begin work on reconstructing the 22km pedestrian road between Rambara and Kedarnath shrine so that the pilgrimage can begin by May 4.
The Uttarakhand government will soon begin work on reconstructing the 22km pedestrian road between Rambara and Kedarnath shrine so that the pilgrimage can begin by May 4.
The Border Roads Organisation and the public works department will jointly undertake the task. The June flash floods had washed away the earlier road.
Government sources said that had it not been for the inclement weather for four days, reconstruction work would have started by now. The state government has prepared a blueprint to start work. The work plan has incorporated the suggestions of the geological survey of India.
Sources in the chief minister’s office said that the government wants to take up the reconstruction of the pedestrian road on a war-footing. Earlier, chief minister Harish Rawat had announced in the assembly that the government wants to start the work soon.
According to the plan, shopkeepers and priests who had permanent dwellings close to the Kedarnath shrine will be relocated on roadsides and other alternative sites suggested in the GSI report. Workers and machines have been positioned at the point where work has to begin.
“Our priority is to restart the pilgrimage according to schedule. We have incorporated the guidelines of the GSI report,” said chief minister Harish Rawat. Another challenging task is construction of houses for homeless Kedar valley disaster victims, he said.