Kedarnath to be rebuilt anew scientifically: Uttarakhand CM

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: Kedarnath, the temple town that has been devastated by the floods in Uttarakhand, will now be rebuilt using scientific and modern technologies. In an interview to a leading daily, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna said that the new temple-town won’t emerge as a clutter around the Kedarnath temple. Explaining his plan to control the construction around the temple, the Uttarakhand chief minister asserted that the decision had been taken that “no construction will come close to the shrine”. He said that environmentalists and archaeologists would be roped in to develop the town in a planned scientific manner. Pointing out that Kedarnath is an earthquake-sensitive belt, Bahguna said that seismic experts would also be involved in the construction. According to the chief minister, those who intend to visit the town in future will have to register themselves. Kedarnath has been one of the worst-hit areas in the Uttarakhand floods, and the rescue operations in the region have often been hampered due to bad weather conditions. As of now, cremations of bodies are on in Kedarnath to check any epidemic outbreak. Meanwhile, a team of experts from Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is slated visit the Kedarnath temple to assess the quantum of damage caused by the flood fury and restoration required for the shrine. A team of five experts from Dehradun and Delhi will be the part of the exercise for the revered temple which bore the brunt of floods and landslides triggered by the deluge in the hill state on June 16. The state government had sought help from the ASI to assess the damage caused to the shrine. Efforts are on to drop the team by air by Sunday, sources said. With PTI inputs