Dehradun: Pilgrims visiting the Kedarnath shrine in Uttarakhand this year could face trouble as a number of fabricated huts erected for travellers have been damaged owing to heavy snowfall in the area. The administration said it will have to make alternative tent arrangements but they won’t be as cozy as the fabricated ones.
But the bigger challenge is to clear the heaps of snow accumulated all over the shrine and on the track leading to Kedarnath. Sporting jackets, gloves, caps and shovels in hands, several employees of Public Works Department (PWD) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are working hard to clear the snow glaciers. With less than 15 days remaining for the portals of the revered shrine to open, the Rudraprayag administration is facing sleepless nights.
One has to trek 16 km either on foot or take a pony ride from Gaurikand to reach Kedarnath, which is one among the ‘Char Dham’ in Uttarakhand besides Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamnotri. The Chaar Dham yatra attracts lakhs of pilgrims every year. The portals of the shrine are open every year around April-May and closed around October-November. This year, the portals will be thrown open for pilgrims on May 9.
The officials said at some places glaciers are as tall as 15 feet and it is becoming extremely difficult to clear the track that is covered in 6 to 7 feet snow.
Mangesh Ghildiyal, district magistrate of Rudraprayag, told News18 that efforts are being made to make the pilgrimage comfortable. “Seventeen fabricated huts have damaged in Lincholi that falls on the way to Kedarnath. Tents will accommodate the pilgrims this time. Right now the team is trying its best to clear the route,” he said.
Kedarnath valley was devastated in 2013 after heavy rains on June 15 and 16 that killed more than 5,000 people and flushed infrastructure worth crores. Since then, the reconstruction works have been continuing in the valley.
(With inputs from Shailendra Rawat in Rudraprayag)
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