Roads connecting Kedarnath shrine to be restored by Sept: Road Minister Oscar Fernandes

NEW DELHI: Nearly a month after floods ravaged several parts of Uttarakhand, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is working towards re-linking the state with the rest of the country and is hopeful of providing full connectivity to the Kedarnath shrine by September.

"The restoration work has started but there are stretches where the entire road has been washed out, where we have to build new roads. This may go beyond one or two months," Road Minister Oscar Fernandes told reporters here.

Exuding confidence Fernandes said "by September, we will be able to restore connectivity to the (Kedarnath) shrine".

Heavy monsoon rains wreaked havoc in the hill states of Uttarakhand on June 16 and 17, with thousands of people affected and several hundreds dead. Himachal Pradesh was also hit by floods due to rains.

Broken roads in the worst hit Rudraprayag, Chamoli and Uttarkashi districts affected supply of relief material to the areas. The supplies are being dispatched in choppers to affected areas of Uttarakhand.

The minister had visited the affected areas in the hilly state to take stock of the situation.

"I had a feel of the tragedy in Uttarakhand and interacted with the Border Road Organisation (BRO) to know the situation at ground zero," he added.

Fernandes, who took charge of the Ministry on June 18 said his ministry will work towards getting speedy environment clearances for the projects that are stuck.