Ahead of PM Modi's visit, Uttarakhand CM conducts inspections in Badrinath

Ahead of the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi this month, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Wednesday inspected the ongoing works in Badrinath Dham.

PM Modi will visit Uttarakhand on October 21 where he will lay the foundation stone of connectivity projects worth around Rs 3,500 crore.

The Chief Minister also offered prayers at the shrine there.

Speaking to ANI here, CM Dhami said that PM Modi will lay the foundation stone of a few roads and Hemkund Ropeway.

"Work is going on swiftly on Badrinath Master Plan. We have made the target to finish all the work by December 2023. PM will arrive here (in the state) on Oct 21 and he will lay the foundation stone of a few roads and Hemkund Ropeway," he said.

The CM further said that PM Modi will also visit Kedarnath to lay the foundation stone of the cable car.

The Prime Minister will also address a public rally in Kedarnath.

"He will also go to Kedarnath Dham where he will lay the foundation stone of the Kedarnath Cable car. PM will also visit Mana village and meet the local people. He will also address a public rally there," he added.

The Prime Minister will perform darshan and pooja at Shri Kedarnath Temple and at the Badrinath Temple.

He will also review the progress of development work at Kedarnath and Badrinath.

According to the PMO office, in Kedarnath, at around 8:30 am, he will perform darshan and pooja at the Kedarnath Temple.

At around 9 pm, Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of the Kedarnath Ropeway Project. After that, he will visit the Adi Guru Shankaracharya Samadhi Sthal and at around 9:25 am, Prime Minister will review the progress of development works along Mandakini Asthapath and Saraswati Asthapath.

Thereafter, Prime Minister will reach Badrinath where, at around 11:30 am, Prime Minister will perform darshan and pooja at Shri Badrinath Temple. At 12 noon, he will review the progress of the development work of the riverfront, followed by laying the foundation stone of the road and ropeway projects at Mana village at 12:30 pm. Thereafter, at around 2 pm, he will review the progress of the development work of the arrival plaza and lakes.

The ropeway in Kedarnath will be around 9.7 Km long and will connect Gaurikund to Kedarnath, reducing the travel time between the two places from 6-7 hours at present, to only about 30 mins.

The Hemkund ropeway will connect Govindghat to Hemkund Sahib.

It will be around 12.4 Km long and will reduce the travel time from more than a day to only about 45 mins. This ropeway will also connect Ghangaria, which is the gateway to Valley of Flowers National Park.

The ropeways, which will be developed at a cumulative cost of around Rs 2430 crore, are an environmental friendly mode of transport that will provide a safe, secure and stable mode of transport. This major infrastructure development will give a boost to religious tourism, which will give a fillip to the economic development in the region and lead to the creation of multiple employment opportunities as well.

"Foundation stone of road widening projects worth around Rs 1000 crore will also be laid during the visit. The two road widening projects - from Mana to Mana Pass (NH07) and from Joshimath to Malari (NH107B) - shall be another step towards providing last-mile all-weather road connectivity to our border areas. Apart from boosting connectivity, these projects will also prove beneficial from a strategic point of view as well," the PMO said in a statement.

Kedarnath and Badrinath are one of the most important Hindu shrines. The area is also known for one of the revered Sikh Pilgrim site- Hemkund Sahib.

The connectivity projects being undertaken shows the Prime Minister's commitment to ease access and improve basic infrastructure in places of religious significance.