Taking cognisance of media reports about slow progress in reconstruction of roads due to inclement weather, State Chief Minister Harish Rawat convened a review meeting with officials in Dehradun on Saturday late night. During meeting he stressed on ensuring implementation of biometric registration of pilgrims at the start of Char Dham route.
CM Rawat has categorically instructed them to make sure pilgrims should have medically fit and give emphasis on sanitation in and around Rishikesh and other area leading to Char Dham as well. Irrigation department was asked to prepare a plan for the construction of protection wall in Kedarnath and implement it on priority basis. For this separate division of irrigation department in Kedarnath was raised and asked to make sure the debris should be removed immediately after a landslide so that road would not get closed for long period. For this JCB should be deployed alongwith other necessary equipment in landslide prone areas.
CM also instructed them to work on the formation of Yatra Volunteer Core (YVC). With this YVC we would get their service not only in Char Dham Yatra but also in Nanda Rajjat Yatra and Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. Police post in Kedarnath will be established and manpower will be deployed and provided with satellite phone and other modern gadgets. In view of geographical condition of upper areas and weather forecast a team of weather scientists will also be constituted. For this you they will be required to keep in touch with the department concerned.
While preparing they must consider the unpredictable weather and send ration for next four months in advance and keep enough stock of cooking gas, kerosene and diesel because entire world would keep a tab on this year’s Char Dham Yatra.
Revenue police and police departments competent and experienced personnel should be deployed on the Yatra route and also deploy enough number of employee of food and civil supply on way to Yatra route. All the department concerned should keep in touch with Government officials in Dehradun so that work would get expedite. To review the ground situation he asked the senior Government officials to keep visiting the area on regular intervals and make sure that there is no communication gap and instructions should be issued clearly to their juniors. There is need to treat debris and expedite the re-channelisation of river as well.
lincholi has been developed as base for Kedarnath and helipad is being developed here. Around 2,000 vehicles can be parked in Sonprayag and made arrangements of food for pilgrims and tourist as well.
Meanwhile, 1,200 personnel have been dispatched for Char Dham and will be deployed on different posts of Yatra route. Police and SDRF personnel will be deployed for the security of pilgrims. Currently road repair works are in progress at Badrinath, Yamunotri and Gangotri route as well. We are putting interlocking tiles where black top or cemented road construction is not possible.
During meeting chief secretary Subhash Kumar, Additional chief secretary Rakesh Sharma, FRDC BP Pandey, Principal Secretary SS Sandhu, Dr Umakant Panwar and Secretary Bhaskaranand, Dr Ajay Kumar Pradyot and other senior officers were present.