Uttarakhand to resume Char Dham yatra without Kedarnath

Uttarakhand is working on a plan to resume the Char Dham yatra without Kedarnath shrine by September 30.

The government has also launched efforts to find alternate road links to the battered shrine.

An announcement has been made by Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna during his trip to disaster-affected areas of Rudraprayag district on Tuesday. "By September 30, the yatra (pilgrimage) to Yamunotri, Gangotri and Badrinath will be resumed," said Bahuguna.

However, Bahuguna said it will take a long time to restore the connectivity to Kedarnath, the scene of the worst devastation in the hill state last month. The government's first priority is to restore the highways leading to the three shrines. The chief minister said the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has already given an assurance of restoring highways to the government.

Bahuguna said the government is trying to restore alternate road links to Kedarnath shrine via Chaumasi besides Gaurikund. The Geological Survey of India (GSI) has been asked to prepare a report on the alternate road link for Kedarnath, he said adding the army and NDRF are removing the rubble from the shrine area.

The Char Dham yatra was suspended immediately after the June 16-June 17 deluge that swept vast areas of the state leaving a trail of the death and the destruction.

The yatra, considered mainstay of the Garhwal's economy, remain suspended in the wake of the disaster, considered the worst in the century. An estimated 23-24 lakh pilgrims come for yatra every year in Garhwal. "The disaster has completely destroyed our religious tourism in the state," said A K Dwivedi, joint director, Uttarakhand Tourism Department. The government is worried on the plight of all those whose earnings came from the yatra. Scores, including priests, have died, making families vulnerable to poverty.

"Even if the government throws open these shrines for pilgrims, a large number of people who used to earn their bread and butter by working in these shrines areas will not be there. We are worried about their families. A large number of women have become widows and children orphaned," said disaster management minister Yashpal Arya.