Pilgrimage to 3 Himalayan shrines to resume by Sept 30: Uttarakhand CM Vijay Bahuguna

DEHRADUN: Pilgrimage to Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri shrines in calamity-hit Uttarakhand will resume by September 30, Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna has said.

This is the first time that the state government has announced plans to resume the pilgrimage to the Himalayan shrines since the floods ravaged the state on June 16.

Bahuguna, who visited Guptkashi in Rudraprayag district on Tuesday, assured the flood-affected families that pilgrimage to Gangotri, Yamunotri and Badrinath will resume by September 30 by which time the BRO hopes to restore the routes to these Himalayan shrines, an official release said on Wednesday.

The BRO authorities have assured the government that damaged roads leading to these famous shrines will be fully repaired by September 30 when the annual pilgrimage can be resumed, the chief minister said.

He said the NDRF is busy removing the debris from Kedarnath on a war footing and the progress will be reviewed every ten days.

Over 800 people have been killed in flash floods that hit Uttarakhand last month. Most of those killed were pilgrims visiting the Kedarnath and Badrinath shrines.