Uttarakhand: Relief for devotees as Kedarnath walking route repaired

Rudraprayag: In what could be a sigh of relief for the devotees coming to Kedarnath, the walking route has been repaired almost completely, after which some pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Haryana reached Kedarnath Dham after 15 days of walking, informed district administration.

The pilgrims reaching Kedarnath Dham have expressed gratitude for the cooperation received from the administration.

According to the district administration, the walking route has been built after the hard work of 260 labourers.

Earlier on the night of July 31, the Kedarnath walking route was destroyed at many places due to a tragedy, following which, the pilgrims were evacuated safely from the walking route.

In a rescue operation conducted under the supervision of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and the leadership of District Magistrate Saurabh Gaharwar, thousands of devotees and local people were saved from their lives by walking with helicopter service, said the district administration.

Reportedly, a 19-kilometre walking route was damaged in 29 places after the disaster. As per the district administration, there is a problem only at one or two places on the footpath, where security personnel are helping the pilgrims cross the road.

A pilgrim who reached Kedarnath Dham said, "The footpath has been repaired, but there is still a problem at one or two places. Good arrangements are being made by the district administration, Rudraprayag.".

Notably, so far, 10 lakh, 93 thousand, and 632 devotees have visited Baba Kedarnath. These days, around 150 to 200 pilgrims are reaching Kedarnath Dham. Along with helicopter services, devotees of Baba are also reaching the Dham on foot.

Rudraprayag district administration said that their effort is to repair the footpath as soon as possible so that more devotees can reach the shrine of Baba Kedarnath. Hundreds of workers of PWD Guptkashi were engaged in repairing the footpath. Apart from this, the work of repairing the Sonprayag-Gaurikund highway is also going on at a fast pace. Vehicle movement will also start here soon. The machines and workers of the NH department are engaged in repairing the highway day and night.

Earlier today, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami extended his heartfelt greetings to all the people of the state on the occasion of the folk festival of Devbhoomi Uttarakhand, Ghee Sankranti (Gheu Tyaar). Taking on the social media platform X, the Chief Minister said, "Folk festivals are an important part of our rich heritage and tradition," and added that he "prays to God that the holy folk festival brings happiness, prosperity, and health into the lives of all of you."