Uttarakhand prepares blue print for restarting puja at Kedarnath

 The Uttarakhand govenrment has prepared a blue print for restarting puja at Kedarnath and restore the pristine glory of the 8th century shrine perched at dizzying heights of 3583 meters in the Garhwal Himalayas.

 

More than a month after the devastating floods battered the shrine area, the state government has signed a MoU with Engineering Project (India) Limited (EPIL) to clear debris and extricate dead bodies from Kedarnath area. The punja has not taken place at Kedarnath since the June 16-17 deluge.

 

Besides EPIL, the government has also roped in Archeological Survey of India (ASI) and Geological Survey of India (GSI) to suggest long-term measures for carrying out the rebuilding process at Kedarnath in order to restore its pristine glory. Initially only priests will be allowed to visit Kedarnath for holding puja after the cleaning process. “The puja material is being sent to Kedarnath also,” said a top government official. Top seers are expected to perform grand puja when the shrine is sanctified completely. “There is no deadline fix for resuming puja at Kedarnath,” said a top government official.

 

Though the chief minister Vijay Bahuguna had stated that the Chardham yatra, except Kedarnath, would resume before September 30, it was not yet clear how much time it will take to restore the pilgrimage to Kedarnath shrine area. The army is also working on a plan to find alternate route to Kedarnath.

 

EPIL, which is considered to have acquired an expertise in the excavation process, will depute a dedicated workforce of 500 trained personnel for the exercise in which GSI and ASI will also be involved, Chief Secretary Subhash Kumar said after a meeting of top bosses of EPIL, ASI, GSI and Air Force at Secretariat here yesterday.

 

“Considering the amount of huge quantity of debris containing big boulders lying at Kedarnath, Gaurikund and Rambada, we are facing gigantic task to remove them. With scientific expertise provided by the Geological Survey of India and Archeological Survey of India, the task is likely to be carried out successfully by the EPIL personnel,” Kumar said.

 

Officials from the civil administration and police personnel will also assist in the operation which also entails razing to the ground 48 dilapidated structures damaged by the June flashfloods in Kedar valley, the Chief Secretary said. 

 

Heavy equipment like dozers, dumpers and rock breakers loaded in trucks have been despatched from Delhi will soon be airlifted to Kedarnath. “Once the instrument lands at Kedarnath, the operation to remove debris and extricate bodies from them will be carried out,” said a top official of the EPIL.

 

Bad weather conditions coupled with lack of heavy equipment is posing a major hurdle to removal of debris from Kedarnath with a team of experts sent there earlier by the state government having returned without making much headway.