Kedarnath (Uttarakhand), June 19: Four years after the flash floods wrought death and destruction in this Hindu pilgrim destination in Uttarakhand, its horrors continue to haunt the locals. Reconstruction and relief work have been steady but slow in the devastated area.
Of the 113 private lodges, houses and shops that were totally destroyed in the Kedarnath Valley, construction of just 40 have been completed at a cost of `38.43 crore, according to officials.
“The government has sanctioned reconstruction of 113 houses, lodges shops, which were completely destroyed. The reconstruction of 40 have been completed so far. “The second phase of rebuilding the remaining 73 houses will be done in due course. The funds for the second phase of work have not been released yet,” said Santosh Naudiyal, officer in-charge of restoration work at the Rudraprayag District Magistrate’s office. Naudiyal added that, out of the 120 pilgrim cottages which were sanctioned by the government, 70 have been completed in Kedarnath valley at a cost of `29.7 crore. A three-tier wall has also been constructed in Kedarnath to protect the temple.
Not many wish to recall those horrific moments when flood waters, triggered by the melting of the Chorabari glacier, also known as Gandhi Sarovar, following days of heavy rains, caused devastation across an expanse of 40,000 sq km, leaving thousands dead and several thousands more homeless.
“I don’t want to recall those horrific moments. Let it be. I was near the Kedarnath temple when the flash floods hit the valley. I took refuge inside the temple,” said the caretaker of a hotel that was destroyed in the floods and later rebuilt. As very few new hotels have come up in the valley, the state government has set up small tents for pilgrims, where they are provided a sleeping bag each. The locals in Kedarnath believe a huge stone (called Bhimsheela), saved the temple (dedicated to Lord Shiva) from being swept away, like the rest of the buildings in the area, by the raging Mandakini river. IANS
