Uttarakhand to present Badrinath beautification plan worth Rs 424 cr to PMO

The Uttarakhand government will present its master plan worth Rs 424 crore for the beautification of Badrinath and expansion of facilities for devotees around the Himalayan temple to PMO, sources said

The Uttarakhand government will present its master plan worth Rs 424 crore for the beautification of Badrinath and expansion of facilities for devotees around the Himalayan temple to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on Wednesday, official sources said here.

The master plan for the beautification of Badrinath was prepared on the lines of Kedarpuri reconstruction at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is also personally monitoring the progress of projects already under implementation at Kedarnath.

Uttarakhand Tourism secretary Dilip Jawalkar will make a presentation on the master plan at the PMO on Wednesday in the presence of Chief Secretary Om Prakash, official sources said.

Development works around the famous temple are to be carried out in three phases, said Chamoli District Magistrate Swati S Bhadouriya who recently gave final touches to the master plan at a meeting with officials concerned.

The beautification of the Shesh Netra and Badrish lakes near the temple is to be taken up in the first phase of the implementation of the master plan, the temple and areas close to it will be beautified in the second and a path connecting the temple directly with the Shesh Netra lake will be built in the third phase, Bhadouriya said.

Proposed works under the plan also include beautification of the ponds around the temple, streetscaping, expansion and widening of roads leading to the shrine, developing Badrish Van and construction of a parking facility near it, besides riverfront development in a phased manner, she said.

The master plan on Badrinath has already been presented before Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat who has given his nod to it.

Officials here believe that the work on the beautification of Badrinath could start before November this year if the Prime Minister okays the master plan as it is.