A week before the start of the Char Dham Yatra, Chief Minister Harish Rawat will travel on the Char Dham roads to the endpoint. Stating this while reviewing the condition of Char Dham circuit through video-conferencing, the Chief Minister assigned responsibility of monitoring the Yatra routes to senior officers. Additional chief secretary Rakesh Sharma will monitor the Rudraprayag-Kedarnath route, additional secretary Arvind Hyanki will monitor the Yamunotri route, Garhwal commissioner will monitor the Badrinath route while IG Garhwal will monitor the Gangotri route.
Addressing the officials, Rawat stressed that the road repairs should be completed on time before start of the Yatra. Preparations should be such that in case of road getting blocked, it should be cleared and opened for traffic without delay under any circumstances. Special focus should be given to Sirohbagad, lambagad and other slide zones.
If needed, a dedicated team of the Public Works Department should be deployed for the slide zones. On being informed by officials that residents of one village at lambagad will have to be resettled, the CM directed officials to select the land for rehabilitating the families without delay. The State administration should review works being undertaken on the Yatra circuit every 10 days. Reviewing work at Hemkund, Rawat asked officials to complete formalities for construction of a multi-level parking at Govindghat.
Benches, toilets, railing, rain shelters, dust bins and high mast lights should be facilitate as needed on the route from Govindghat to Ghangharia. While the CM directed that a helipad should be constructed here, he was informed that a ropeway had also been approved for this place. The consultant has presented the DPR for treatment of the Sirohbagad slide zone.
There is an immediate plan and a middle-term plan for this slide zone, said officials. The Gangotri route is under the Border Roads Organisation and special attention is being given to the five major slide zones on this route. Reviewing forest land transfer, Rawat directed all district magistrates to accord top priority to forest land transfer for various roads and have relevant information on such cases on their fingertips. Rawat asked the DMs to submit reports on the land area available in their districts for compensatory afforestation in lieu of transferred forest land.