As the sixth anniversary of the 2013 Kedarnath disaster was marked on Sunday, observers point out that though considerable developments and some improvements have taken place in Kedarnath, the authorities appear to be missing some key lessons from the disaster which caused the deaths o thousands.
With active involvement and support of the Central Government, the State Government has undertaken various works under the Kedarnath reconstruction project. Apart from improving the bridle path to Kedarnath, a ghat has been constructed along Mandakini river while the courtyard of the shrine has been expanded and a wider and better approach path to the shrine has been constructed. Buildings have been constructed for the Teerth Purohits and cottages were also constructed for visitors. Medical services have also been facilitated at Kedarnath. Further, helicopter services are also being provided to the shrine. The State authorities have further plans for Kedarnath including the construction of a virtual reality theme park and museum to encourage dark tourism based on the 2013 disaster.
Apart from this the all-weather road project to all the Char Dham shrines is also expected to improve road-connectivity for the pilgrimage to Kedarnath. Meanwhile, this shrine has seen a major rise in the number of pilgrims visiting it this year. While about 7.3 lakh people had visited Kedarnath last year, this year in little over a month since the reopening of the shrine, more than six lakh people have already visited the shrine. An average of 20,000 people are visiting Kedarnath every day.
This has been welcomed by those earning from pilgrimage and tourism. However, observers point out that the State government appears to have forgotten the various threats posed by unregulated pilgrimage and tourism. The photometric registration started at Rishikesh is not a reliable way to ascertain the total number of pilgrims since many are reaching by helicopter and private vehicles without photometric registration.
Many including the Shankaracharya of Dwarika and Jyotir Peeths, Swaroopanand Saraswati have cautioned against pilgrimage centres being converted to tourist destinations. This was evidenced in the public outrage expressed on the social media after a clip of some people doing the bhangra in the courtyard of the shrine to drum beats was widely shared recently.
As the government continues to work on what is also stated to be the prime minister’s dream project, there is rising opinion on the need to regulate the pilgrimage in a better manner while also preserving the native culture of the state.