Those undertaking the pilgrimage to Kedarnath will be able to access information about the weather, roads and other travel related aspects on their mobile phones. A mobile phone application on rescue from Kedarnath will also be made available to the public. These are some of the measures taken by the State Government to tackle with disaster scenarios after the June 2013 disaster.
Chief minister Harish Rawat had directed the district magistrates to facilitate preparation of Geographic Information System (GIS)/digital maps of their respective areas. These would enable provision of information about the sensitive areas in the districts. The Rudraprayag district magistrate Dr Raghav langer informed that the GIS/digital map application has been prepared for Rudraprayag district.
The GIS/digital map and bulk SMS facility would be launched at the district magistrate's office on Tuesday afternoon. The DM informed that the use of this application will provide various important data to pilgrims travelling to Kedarnath, public representatives, government officials and employees. Using the GIS/digital map application, one will be able to know about roads, bridle paths, rivers and ravines, government offices, government infrastructural facilities and resources, revenue posts and important telephone numbers. Similarly, a Kedar rescue demo android application will also be launched by the district administration on Tuesday.
Downloading this application on the mobile phone, a person can use it to know about important landmarks, Yatra route and nearby locations that might prove helpful in times of emergency. Observers point out that the authorities are launching the mobile phone applications at a time when about a fortnight is left before the portals of Kedarnath are closed to the public for the winters. However, it is hoped that if facilitated efficiently, these measures could help improve the experience of pilgrimage to Kedarnath in the future.