A year after disaster struck Uttarakhand, the main camp of Kedarnath Yatra- Gaurikund has not been connected with motor road.
Till last year, this place used to be crowded by pilgrims but now this small township is a deserted place with debris lying all around. The condition of Gaurikund points towards the pathetic state of affairs in the disaster-affected areas of Uttarakhand, a year after the State was ravaged by calamity.
Till last year, this settlement used to be bustling with tourists and pilgrims from across the nation and abroad but a year after disaster the place remains unrecognisable.
Flood in the Mandakini river last year had swept away 80 per cent of Gaurikund including residential, commercial buildings and ancient temples. The horse and palanquin services to Kedarnath used to start at this point but now there is no sign of the prepaid counters, Ghoda Padav (halt for equines), three bus stands and a number of lodges.
The pilgrims are going past the remains of this settlement where only a few shops are now open. Even today, the debris from last year’s disaster are strewn around the shops in this area along the river.
Businessman Radheshyam says that apart from being a major point on the pilgrimage route to Kedarnath temple, Gaurikund was also a business centre. The local traders are suffering as the township has not been resettled even after a year of the disaster.