Officials of the various departments concerned have been directed to complete the necessary arrangements to facilitate the pilgrimage to the lakshman temple and Hemkund Sahib in Chamoli district. Chairing a meeting with the officials at the Secretariat on Friday, Uttarakhand Governor Krishan Kant Paul directed the health department to set up a base camp at Joshimath with doctors, supporting staff, medicines and oxygen cylinders, among other facilities, for this pilgrimage slated to resume next month.
The Governor directed the Chamoli District Magistrate Vinod Kumar Suman to maintain a constant assessment in order to facilitate the necessary inter-departmental coordination at the district level. He said that temporary camps of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF)/police/Provincial Armed Constabulary should be established at Ghangharia to ensure safety on the trek route to the shrines. Police and SDRF personnel should be posted at various points along the trek to patrol the route, said the Governor, while adding that the presence of police and administration will give a sense of security to the pilgrims.
In order to ensure cleanliness and clean environment, dustbins should be placed at regular intervals along the route. The eco development committee for collecting garbage last year should also be activated this year. Paul further instructed officials to ensure that all the biodigesters are kept functional. Directing that the suspension bridge at Govindghat be reinforced, the governor said that the process of approval to the estimate of cost for building a permanent bridge should be completed soon by the State administration. Work for the tarring of the Pulna motor road and the suspension bridge at Bhyundar should be completed by the month of May. The Public Works Department was directed to keep its engineer posted at Govindghat while other officials concerned were directed to start work on long-term plans including construction of protection wall at Govindghat and car parking facility. Satellite phone or Digital Satellite Phone Terminal (DSPT) should be facilitated in order to strengthen the communication network along the trek route. Sign boards should be installed stating distance to telephone facility, potable water, toilet and other public facilities, added the governor. Chief secretary Shatrughna Singh and Hemkund Sahib Trust vice chairman NS Bindra were also among those who attended the meeting.