The Government claims of clearing all roads leading to Kedarnath shrine were reduced to mockery on the maiden day of the much-hyped pilgrimage. The people who had left Gaurikund on jeeps had to alight and trudge half the way as the road was found blocked. They had to cover 2 km on foot to reach Gaurikund.
“We faced difficulty as we had to walk a long way up to the shrine. We took it in the right spirit as it was a pilgrimage of supreme spiritual importance for us. However, the State Government should have informed us beforehand what things are on the ground instead of rolling out flamboyant boast that things are all in their right places,” said a pilgrim coming from a southern state.
Besides, the path to Kedarnath from lincholi is proving precarious for the devotees, as parts of the glaciers come crashing down right on the road at four/five places with defeaning thuds. “Such huge things falling from great heights at regular intervals frightened us.
However, JCB machines had been deployed along the route and Nepali workers from NIM were found working hard to clear the path by tomorrow. Hope, things would prove better for the pilgrims who would arrive here from tomorrow onwards,” said another pilgrim hailing from Rajasthan.
Again, the claims of the government having provided ‘’full communication’’ to meet any eventuality rang hollow, as from Rambada to lincholi there was no mobile or net connectivity on Thursday.
The media persons had to run here or there to send their stories. Net connectivity at Kedarnath was, however good. Yet, in case of any emergency coming up en route, it would prove difficult to communicate and seek help. “It seems the state government is interested more in bragging achievements to entice the prospective pilgrims from across the country and abroad rather than in seeing to it that all the loopholes are adequately plugged.
“Nature being essentially quirky anything can befall this vulnerable place anytime. The question is-is the administration fully alive to the matter of safety of the persons who are coming after being assured that fool-proof safety measures are here in place,” said a devotee from southern State.