Kedarnath still a tall climb for common man due to lack of basic facilities
RUDRAPAYAG/NEW DELHI: More than 19 pilgrims climbing uphill for a darshan at Kedarnath shrine in Uttarakhand have died and scores have been forced to sleep in the open in freezing cold due to lack of basic facilities, including food, lodging, medicines and transport.
PM Narendra Modi visited the shrine on May 3, when the doors of the temple were opened for pilgrims after the winter break. Since ministers, legislators and VIPs use chopper services to reach the shrine, one of the Chardhams, they are completely in the dark about the problems faced by ordinary pilgrims.
The climb to the shrine from Gauri Kund, Rudraprayag, is steeper than pilgrimages to centres such as Vaishno Devi and even nearby Badrinath. While there is a road right up to the shrine in Badrinath, pilgrims have to walk about 23 km uphill to reach Kedarnath, located at an altitude of more than 3,500 metres above sea level.
A cloudburst on June 16-17, 2013, devastated the area and even four years later, little has improved. The disaster increased the distance from Gauri Kund to Kedarnath from 14 km earlier – through Rambaara – to about 23 km.
Though some pilgrims go on horseback or are carried by coolies, most prefer to walk. With inadequate facilities, the climb becomes a severe ordeal on a route that’s prone to sudden rain. Lack of shelters, refreshments shops and resting places make it a tough journey. Medical facilities are poor and located far from each other.
Asked about measures to alleviate the suffering of Kedarnath pilgrims, recently elected Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Rawat said the problems have been aggravated because of a three-fold increase in visitors this season.
While the administration says up to 4,000 pilgrims can stay near the shrine, this seems to be a tall claim, given that there are reportedly only three points for lodging.
PM Narendra Modi visited the shrine on May 3, when the doors of the temple were opened for pilgrims after the winter break. Since ministers, legislators and VIPs use chopper services to reach the shrine, one of the Chardhams, they are completely in the dark about the problems faced by ordinary pilgrims.
The climb to the shrine from Gauri Kund, Rudraprayag, is steeper than pilgrimages to centres such as Vaishno Devi and even nearby Badrinath. While there is a road right up to the shrine in Badrinath, pilgrims have to walk about 23 km uphill to reach Kedarnath, located at an altitude of more than 3,500 metres above sea level.
A cloudburst on June 16-17, 2013, devastated the area and even four years later, little has improved. The disaster increased the distance from Gauri Kund to Kedarnath from 14 km earlier – through Rambaara – to about 23 km.
Though some pilgrims go on horseback or are carried by coolies, most prefer to walk. With inadequate facilities, the climb becomes a severe ordeal on a route that’s prone to sudden rain. Lack of shelters, refreshments shops and resting places make it a tough journey. Medical facilities are poor and located far from each other.
Asked about measures to alleviate the suffering of Kedarnath pilgrims, recently elected Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Rawat said the problems have been aggravated because of a three-fold increase in visitors this season.
While the administration says up to 4,000 pilgrims can stay near the shrine, this seems to be a tall claim, given that there are reportedly only three points for lodging.