Restoration work to begin mid-Nov at Kedarnath

Jotirmay Thapliyal 

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, November 5

Following the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Kedarnath in the Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand, reconstruction work is all set to begin by the Kedarnath Development Authority getting into an operational mode.

Rudraprayag District Magistrate Mangesh Ghildhiyal has apprised that the survey work for all the five projects, the foundation stone of which were laid by the Prime Minister, has already begun and the construction activities are expected to start latest by mid-November.

The Kedarnath Development Authority that has been entrusted with the reconstruction task is all set to open its office in Rudraprayag to give speed to the restoration work. The office is slated to open at the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam guest house in the Kedar Valley within a day or two.

While ensuring speedy construction activities, the state administration is also emphasising on its proper monitoring. A drone is also to be pressed into service to keep an eye on the work being undertaken.

Modi, who visited Uttarakhand twice recently, had laid emphasis on speedy and proper conduct of reconstruction activities at Kedarnath. Since then the Uttarakhand BJP government too has been taking up the plans for reconstruction work on a priority basis with the Chief Minister himself taking keen interest on the matter. 

Projects to be undertaken

Projects that are to be taken up for reconstruction includes reconstruction of Samadhi of Adi Guru Shankaracharya, widening of Gaurikund Kedarnath trek, flood protection arrangements along Mandakini and Saraswati rivers and reconstruction of houses of priests that were completely razed to the ground during the 2013 rain catastrophe.