Yamunotri Priests Disappointed by delay in reconstruction work of the Shrine

Local residents as well as Yamunotri priests have expressed disappointment and dissatisfaction over the delay in restoration of temple. People have also accused the central governments and state of distribute funds for Kedarnath restoration project and ignoring the Yamunotri temple, which was also damaged during the flash flood in June.

Purushotam Uniyal , Former secretary of the temple committee said that the shrine is extremely damaged by Flash Flood. The hot spring, the protection wall, connecting bridge of the temple and the Yamuna River Ghats are entirely destroyed. Some nearby infrastructure is partially damaged. Except this, the river also got filled with large stones that can cause threat to temple anytime. Still the government has not initiated the repair and restoration work there.

He also said that When similar tragedy happened with Kedarnath in 2013 both the sate and the central government made the shrine and the valley itself their priority. With immense fund along with many reconstruction projects the Kedarnath shrine has been transformed in no time. But in the case of Yamunotri no one showed their interest in repairing the shrine and nearby places. He added that Yamunotri is a holy town of Goddess Yamuna, the first among the Char Dham and the centre of faith for a number of devotees so the government should show their interest in reconstruction and repairing of Yamunotri as they have shown during the Kedarnath Tragedy.

Repeating similar views, Pawan Prakash Uniyal, a priest of Yamunotri temple said that Yamunotri being the first destination from the char dham and one of the clean & iconic places the government should have shown their interest in it. After going through a lot of severe suffering devotees visit the temple in search of peace.

At the same time Ashish Chauhan, Uttarkashi district magistrate said that the repairing work has already started restoring nearby places and trek routes as well. Water Supply alongwith electricity and other basic amenities of the temple have already been restored. However the complete restoration work needs a massive budget and for that a proposal has been sent to the government and the repair work will get started accordingly.

PM will review reconstruction projects and visit Kedarnath on Diwali Eve

Prime Minister Narendra Modi who has special natural liking for the Kedarnath shrine is likely to visit Kedarnath on November 6, a day before Diwali to offer prayers at the shrine and to review Kedarpuri reconstruction projects. Previous year PM Modi visited the Kedarnath temple at the time of opening and also a day before the closing ceremony of Kedarnath Portals.

After two days of Diwali the Portals of the shrine are closed that is, on the occasion of �Bhaiya Dooj�. Speaking of the PM Modi�s plan, Mangesh Ghildiyal , Rudraprayag DM, said that the exact schedule is yet to be decided, it is likely that on November 6 morning PM Modi would arrive at Jolly Grant Airport and take a chopper to Kedarnath. DM said that few reconstruction projects are still under process while some reconstruction projects have been completed.

Reconstruction projects of Kedarpuri have been on the priority list of PM Modi and he keeps taking stock of the Kedarpuri reconstruction project via video conferencing an official said.

A �Meditation Cave� to be presented during PM Modi�s Visit

A meditation cave set up 400m from Kedarnath temple, a newly built entrance plaza, an enlarged platform and retaining walls would be displayed during PM Modi�s visit to Kedarnath on 6 November 2018. PM Modi has closely observed reconstruction works at Kedarnath which was damaged by flash flood in 2013. This year, with the model code of conduct in force, During the PM�s visit to the Kedarnath shrine no project will be initiated due to the upcoming civic election.

But it�s the first time that PM Modil will observe the projects he had taken keen interest in during his last visit to Kedarnath on 20 October 2017, He had proposed a meditation cave for devotees which has now been set up. Through the official website of Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam the online bookings for the cave which is known as the Rudra meditation cave have been started in September. It can be booked for stay at INR3000 per Per4son for 3 Days.

The environment is natural but the cave is furnished with modern facilities. The cave has phone, electricity, water facility and meals are also provided. This 5m long and 3m wide cave has been built at a cost of INR 8.5 Lakh.

Magnesh Ghildiyal , DM of Rudraprayag said that this year we have only two bookings because the online bookings for the cave started late in September. But the number will increase in near future a s we plan to use social media to spread the message.

He added that the entrance plaza near the confluence of rivers Mandakini and Sarovar has been completed and the temple platform are have been enlarged from 27000 sq ft to 41000 sq ft. The construction of 278m long and 50feet wide road is completed. About 7 lakh pilgrims visited Kedarnath until October 18 this year, which is the highest footfall to the temple as compared to the last 4 decades.

Buses to Move without any disturbance between Uttarakhand and UP

Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh signed a Historic mutual transport agreement on Monday after a wait of about 18 years, which will pave the way for the undisturbed movement of buses in each other�s jurisdictions. The agreement was signed by UTC (Uttarakhand Transport Corporation) Secretary Shailesh Bagauli and his UP counterpart Aradhana Shukla in the presence of CM Trivendra Singh Rawat and Yogi Adityanath at the latter�s� Lucknow residence. Up Transport Corporation buses will now operate without any disturbance on 216 routes in the Himalayan state covering a distance of 1.39 lakh km every day. On the contrary Uttarakhand buses will operate in UP and cover a distance of 2.52 lakh km per day.

Buses of both the states operate in each other�s Jurisdictions on the basis of provisional permit, at present but as soon as the provisional permits expire, the buses are stopped by the other state. This often results in issues between the various departments of the two stated and also generate inconvenience to the passengers who use these buses on a daily basis. The two states with this agreement will no more require the provisional permit to run buses in each other�s area. Trivendra Singh Rawat, Uttarakhand� s CM said that after a long wait of 18 years the agreements has come and passengers of both the states will be benefitted. Yogi Adityanath , UP CM said that with this agreement the frequency and the movement of buses will be enhanced. And with this agreement, the relation will become better between the two states. UTC has a fleet of around 1100 buses that covers over 3.50 lakh km and serves over 1 lakh passengers on daily basis.

Source: Times of India.