Kedarnath Yatra New Tunnel: In a big step for all those who visit Kedarnath Dham every year, the Central Government has planned to build a 7km long tunnel from Chaumasi to Lincholi. This tunnel will help pilgrims have a smoother and safer trip to the temple. It will also cut down the travel time and save the energy of people who walk long hours just to reach the Dham. Every year, lakhs of people go to Kedarnath and many of them are elderly or not very healthy, so this tunnel will be very helpful for them.
After the 2013 floods, the yatra route became much tougher and longer. That disaster killed many people, and even years later, some dead bodies were found along the old trekking path. Because of these past events, the government wanted to make sure nothing like that happens again.
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Kedarnath Yatra New Tunnel
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways finished a full survey of the tunnel route to be sure it’s safe and better for people. The original idea was to build the tunnel from Gaurikund to Rambara, but after checking the safety of the mountains and land, they decided to change the plan. The new route from Chaumasi to Lincholi is more secure and has less chance of landslides or cracks in the hills.
Omkar Pandey, who works as an Executive Engineer in NHAI, said the tunnel will not only help people who are walking but also let small vehicles go through. He said, right now, carrying goods to Kedarnath is very hard but after the tunnel is ready, goods can move more easily too.
He explained that vehicles will be able to go closer to the temple and people will only need to walk around 5 km. That walk might take just 1.5 to 2 hours. Right now, people walk 18 km which takes up to eight hours, so this new route could save them nearly six hours of walking.
Ropeway is also Coming Soon
The Union Cabinet has also approved a ropeway between Sonprayag and Kedarnath back in March, The Hindu reported. This ropeway will make the nine-hour climb just 40 minutes long. The ropeway will be around 12.9 km long and should be done by 2031. It will be able to carry up to 1,800 people every hour, which means even more pilgrims can go up safely and quickly.
Tourism Minister Satpal Maharaj said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is directly looking after the work in Kedarnath and Badrinath. He said, “From tunnel to ropeway, all the work done here will be world-class.”
Along with this, another short tunnel of 900 meters is already done on the Rudraprayag to Badrinath highway. That also helps make travel easier for people going to Badrinath.
In Parliament, the government shared that under PMGSY-3, it has approved 212 new rural roads and nine new bridges in Uttarakhand. These roads will cover more than 2,200 km. These roads are going to help people in villages get better access to schools, hospitals and markets, and will also help pilgrims reach remote areas more easily.
