Building a motorable route to Kailash Mansarovar is high on priority of the new Government. The Ministry of Roads, Transport and Highways (MoRTH), which already has orders from the PMO, will soon prepare a detailed project report on an alternate motorable route to Kailash Mansarovar.
“As of now, there is a trek route, where a 22-day trek is conducted for pilgrims by the Ministry of External Affairs with assistance from Border Roads Organisation under the Ministry of Defence but it is in a bad shape and with every monsoon some portions of the route get washed away,” said an official from MoRTH.
“The PM is keen on building a concrete route to make the journey to the pilgrimage easy. Once an in-principle agreement is signed between the concerned countries, we will start work on a feasibility study,” said the official. Kailash Mansarovar Yatra is usually affected by landslides near Pithoragarh and Tawaghat and that is why the former UPA Government too had proposed a new route for the annual pilgrimage.
The Road Ministry will also have to select suitable tracts for alignments and there after a cost estimate proposal would be sent to the PMO for approval. “The project is at a conceptual stage and will require a lot of work. Even after the project report is made, several high-level clearances will be required,” said the official. “But once the project comes through, it will be an asset for Uttarakhand as it will provide a huge push to tourism,” he said.
Besides a robust alignment, officials said that traffic and safety concerns will be key areas to tackle as the roads will have to be built on very high altitudes. No deadline or start-line for the project has been set, said the official, stating that the project is at a very preliminary stage.
Mansarovar lake and the flanking Mount Kailash, which is the highest mountain in Tibet at 22,022 feet, are revered by Hindus as the abode of God Shiva. Buddhists believe that Mount Kailash is the home of Buddha Demchok, who represents the supreme god for Jains. Kailash, is the site where the first Jain Tirthankara achieved Nirvana.
Annually, pilgrims come from all over the subcontinent take ceremonial baths in the lake water. This year, 18 batches have been planned to be sent to the Yatra that will be of 22 days in total. The trip is organised by the MEA annually between June and September.