Rawat extends invitation to Prez to visit Kedarnath

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat today extended an invitation to President Pranab Mukherjee to visit Kedarnath when the portals of the Himalayan shrine are reopened next month after their six-month closure for winters.
Accompanied by state Congress chief Kishore Upadhyay, Rawat met the President and requested him to grace the ceremonial opening of the gates of the temple on April 24, saying a visit by the President will enthuse hundreds of personnel engaged in rebuilding efforts at Kedarnath which bore the brunt of 2013 flash floods, an official release here said.
The President has accepted the Chief Minister's invitation, it said.

Rawat also informed the President about reconstruction work done at the high altitude temple despite adverse climatic conditions and the fortification of the ancient temple to guard it against possible disasters in future.
He said a visit by the President himself will help send out the message of a safe Uttarakhand and lure back tourists and devotees to the hill state.
The shrine is closed for about six months every year during winter due to snow-bound conditions.