August 6, 2024 7:36 PM.
The rescue operation is almost completed in Kedarghati of Rudraprayag District. The helicopter journey to Kedarnath Dham will resume tomorrow. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami today conducted an aerial inspection of the disaster-affected areas of Rudraprayag district.
He said that the government is working fast to operate the Shri Kedarnath Yatra route as before. Talking to reporters, the Chief Minister said that foot and road routes have been damaged at 29 places due to heavy rains.
The Chief Minister said more than 12 thousand devotees and local people have been rescued in record time. He said that the rescue operation is almost complete.
Devotees reaching Kedarnath Darshan through helicopter services will be given a discount of 25 percent on the fare, the cost of which will be borne by the state government.
During his visit to Rudraprayag today, Dhami said, “For the devotees who have booked their tickets and have come to Uttarakhand, can start their journey from tomorrow onwards. We want the journey to resume as soon as possible so that the devotees can visit Kedarnath temple. Our focus is on restoring the connectivity but till the roads are repaired, pilgrims will be able to visit Kedarnath Dham via helicopter.”
The CM further said that the devotees who have reached or want to go to Kedarnath Dham in Rishikesh, Haridwar and Rudraprayag will be given a rebate of 25 percent on their tickets. Twenty five percent of the fare will be borne by the state government, he said.
“In the next one week, we will try to send pilgrims to Kedarnath Dham by foot as well. We want to remove the fear of the devotees of Kedarnath Yatra being unsafe. A successful rescue was possible after such a major disaster because all the agencies did their job well,” he said.
After conducting ground and aerial inspections in Rudraprayag, Dhami said that there are 29 such points from where the devotees had reached Kedarnath Dham, where the road has been completely damaged due to landslides. This apart, a 150-metre stretch has been completely submerged in the river.
The entire area has suffered a lot of damage during the disaster. Information about the incident is being given to the Central government, Dhami said while thanking the Centre for being beside the state government in this hour of disaster.