Preparations underway in Kedarnath ahead of PM Modi's visit

Kedarnath , October 20: Preparations are in full swing in Kedarnath ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Kedarnath and Badrinath to lay the foundation stone of a few roads and the Hemkund Sahib ropeway on Friday. PM Modi will visit Kedarnath on October 21 to review and initiate various development projects. Also Read| Punjab Govt likely to lease fixed-wing aircraft Ganga Dhar Linga, Pradhan Pujari of Badrinath-Kedarnath Mandir Samiti said, "The preparation is in full swing here at Kedarnath ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit. PM Modi will offer prayers at Kedarnath tomorrow morning. The Prime minister will lay the foundation stone of various development projects here." He further said that tourism has increased after the 2013 landslides and flash floods disaster. "After the disaster, there has been a substantial increase in pilgrims. Recently, around 15 lakh people visited the Kedarnath Dham. Because of the construction of roads, it will be very easy for devotees to ascent towards the shrine and descend back easily," he said. The Pradhan Pujari said that after the development and widening of roads more people wil visit the shrine. "For almost two years the temple was closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic but after the temple was open, the number of devotees increased. It seems that the pilgrims who have to visit Kedarnath in the next 20 years have come this year in 2022. Earlier, this time in October, it was impossible to see even 500 to 1,000 pilgrims but today there are around 20,000 people here to pay obeisance to Baba Kedarnath.  After the road widening, the number of pilgrims will increase here as everyone wants to visit Kedarnath once in their life and people are very always enthusiastic to visit Devbhoomi for Char Dham yatra," he added. District Magistrate of Rudraprayag, Mayur Dixit said that PM Modi will review the various development work like Mandakini Asthapath, Saraswati Asthapath and others Meanwhile, PM Modi will lay foundation stone of road and ropeway projects at Mana village.  The ropeway in Kedarnath will be around 9.7 km long and will connect Gaurikund to Kedarnath, reducing the travel time between the two places from 6-7 hours at present, to only about 30 mins. The Hemkund ropeway will connect Govindghat to Hemkund Sahib. The ropeways, which will be developed at a cumulative cost of around Rs 2,430 crore, are an environmental friendly mode of transport that will provide a safe, secure and stable mode of transport.   Kedarnath and Badrinath are one of the most important Hindu shrines. The area is also known for one of the most revered Sikh pilgrim sites - Hemkund Sahib. Also Read| Rupee falls below 83-mark for first time against US dollar The connectivity projects being undertaken shows the Prime Minister's commitment to ease access and improve basic infrastructure in places of religious significance. -PTC News with ANI inputs