The Rajya Sabha MP and former CM of the State Bhagat Singh Koshyari has lauded National Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) for having built good roads along stretches between Rambara and Kedarnath shrine.
Contrasting this with the lackadaisical performance of the State Government agencies like PWD and Irrigation Department on the ground especially regarding the roads to Kedarnath, he said the Harish Rawat Government had better hand over the work to the Union Government. This is an imperative in the light of the State Government agencies having cut a sorry figure on the ground. later, he said that the Rawat Government is in trouble. This is why he had had a Cabinet meeting at Kedarnath. He hoped the lord Shiva would wriggle him out of the bind he has landed himself in by way of inefficiency and insensitivity.
Koshyari further said the CM, on one hand, boasted of his party’s innocuous secular credentials ad he on the other felt no qualms in having the Cabinet meeting held in a religious shrine. It seems that the pressure being mounted by his detractors within his party are telling upon him badly. “He ascended to Kedarnath to seek solace and protection from the shrine’s presiding deity-lord Shiva,” the BJP leader said.
He said he had gone to Kedarnath immediately after the disaster in 2013 on foot and a few days ago he again visited the shrine via helicopter. During his visit he found that NIM led by Col Ajay Kothiyal has made eight kilometer long road between Rambara to Kedarnath. Its quality is very good. Anyone else can see things for himself, he said. The NIM members have been working with a missionary zeal. “This is what has prodded me to ask the State Government to hand over all the rehabilitation work at Kedarnath to the Union Government,” he said.
During his visit he also found dwellings of several people that survived the catastrophe in good condition. They should be allowed to repair their buildings if repair is needed. The State Government’s blanket decision to have all the buildings there demolished to rehabilitate them in new places in Kedar valley is wrong. He expressed dissatisfaction over the State Government’s continued dillydallying regarding the rehabilitation projects involving the business fraternity and others. This despite the fact that one and half years have passed since the disaster ravaged the State. This means they are far from being serious. He suggested the Chief Minister create a land bank for their rehabilitation. In the coming days, several people are likely to migrate due to upcoming hydro power projects, including Jamrani, Pancheshwar, Kisau and lakhwar vyasi, the BJP leader said.
If the Government would arrange land bank near the plain area they would happily agree and project would be executed without any hindrance. When a media person asked for his reaction over the Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev having appreciated the Congress led Government for its commendable work in Kedar Valley, Koshyari said “ Baba is an international personality. So I would not comment.”