'Rs.2.40 crore first tranche for restoring Kedarnath temple'

The restoration of the Kedarnath temple, damaged in flash floods in June, will begin later this month with an estimated Rs.2.40 crore being spent in the first phase, Culture Minister Chandresh Kumari Katoch said Friday.

"We are just waiting for the government's nod. Our team is there and is ready to start the work. The restoration work is divided into phases because the winter is upon us and it will hit Uttarakhand after Diwali," the minister said at a press conference here.

"The work will begin only after September 11," she added.

A report by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) accessed the damage to the temple and its premises and said that two working seasons in 10 months would be required.

The report indicated that overall, the temple super-structure was is a in fair state.

"The temple structure was saved primarily due to the lodging of a large boulder on its northern side which deflected water and boulders and possibly prevented a direct impact," said the report.

The initial work will include cleaning the interiors, consolidating the loose stones and assessing the state of the inscriptions within the temple, the report said.

Though the Kedarnath temple is not an ASI-protected site, it has been entrusted with restoring it.

"It being living shrine, it is difficult to take care of the temple without the support of the temple authority. They have vehemently opposed the idea of getting the temple under ASI-protected monuments," said the minister.