Almost 112 days after horrific disaster following cloudburst and heavy rains leading to the halt of yatra, Kedarnath and Badrinath shrines reopened for pilgrims on Saturday.
Talking to The Pioneer, Rudraprayag District Magistrate Dilip Jawalkar said that 43 pilgrims went on Kedarnath Yatra on Saturday. In which 31 reached Kedarnath and 12 pilgrims stayed in lincholi. On Union Water Resources Minister Harish Rawat Harish Rawat visit, DM Jawalkar said that the Minister, along with 112 pilgrims, had gone to Kedarnath on October 4. In which 18 pilgrims, including 10, stayed in lincholi and eight in Bhimbali and remaining returned on October 5.
He also said, “The administration has made arrangement of accommodation for 350 pilgrims, including 125 in Kedarnath, 110 in Gaurikund, 80 in lincholi and 35 in Bhimbali. Arrangement for registration has been made in Guptkashi, where clearance for the yatra was issued after registering details of pilgrims and mandatory health check-up.” The Government issued travel passes to control the number of pilgrims to the shrine, he added.
Officials said that heavy vehicles like buses and others will still not be allowed on the motorable paths as the State Government was not “prepared for heavy rush as yet”. Chamoli SP Ajay Joshi, while talking to The Pioneer, said, “This time, we have started registering details of the pilgrims, including their mobile phone number, so that we could have information about number of pilgrims.”
The pathways used by mules and horses on the Kedarnath route have been repaired and the pilgrims will be allowed on the route from Soneprayag in the Rudraprayag district, the official added. Formal “puja” was restarted in the Kedarnath shrine on September 11. Badrinath Kedarnath temple committee officials, along with Cabinet Minister Harak Singh Rawat, had witnessed the august occasion of reopening of shrine. The pilgrimage, however, would not be for long as their “kapat” (doors) would close for the winter from December onwards.