While also continuing work on varied construction works in the disaster-hit Kedarnath, the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering is also working to encourage adventure tourism in various locations in the area. A batch of students from the institute will be visiting the area in the first week of November as part of efforts aimed at boosting adventure tourism here.
The NIM principal Colonel Ajay Kothiyal said, "One of the aspects that we are focusing on is the potential for adventure tourism in Vasukital, Chorabari and other nearby places in the Kedarnath region. To encourage adventure tourism in this region, about 50 youth will be reaching here on the first week of November," he added. The institute is also constructing embankments along the Mandakini and Saraswati Rivers here. A 475 strong workforce equipped and trained to work in difficult conditions will work in the Kedarnath area till January 20, 2015. Since the disaster last year, the NIM workforce has built a new route from Rambada to Kedarnath, set up 30 prefabricated shops for the traders operating between Rambada and Kedarnath, constructed 25 cottages for the pilgrims and visitors and set up 25 rain shelters for stoppages. Additionally, the NIM has also constructed two Bailey bridges and three helipads. One of the helipads can be used for two helicopters simultaneously and another helipad-cum-meditation centre behind the temple can be used by four choppers while the third helipad has been made for routine flights transporting pilgrims. A fourth helipad on 150 by 50 metres area is being constructed to facilitate landing of a large chopper like an Mi-26 that may transport heavy machinery to Kedarnath.
About 40 per cent area of this site is being used for the helipad, while the remaining will be used for shops and cottages. In order to get all this work done, the NIM manually transported a JCB mini excavator, JCB 2DX weighing 4.5 tonnes, inducted two garden tractors and five Polaris All Terrain Vehicles. The heavy machinery was first dismantled, transported and then reassembled at Kedarnath. The institute has also got three mini-stone crushers installed, six cement mixer machines and got seven machines to form a welding plant.
Colonel Kothiyal states, "Chief Minister Harish Rawat has given us full liberty to get the work done for restoration of Kedarnath so our team is in high spirits and motivated to continue the work of reconstruction and encouraging adventure-tourism in the area," he added.