At an altitude of 3,969 metres, mornings in Kedarnath are a shivering minus 6 degrees Celsius. However, restoration on the shrine premises is accelerating, with more than 300 people engaged in it.
“The dip in the temperature doesn’t hinder our work. Working efficiently in such adverse circumstances is part of our planning,” says Col. Ajay Kothiyal, principal of the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM), who is heading the team doing the work.
>A year-and-a-half after the Mandakini gushed through the Kedar Valley, killing over 4,000 people , the Kedarnath shrine stands amid dilapidated buildings on the damaged premises.
The over 300-odd people continue to demolish dilapidated buildings and construct helipads, as the valley is covered with 2-3 feet of snow.
The workers, most of them from the Uttarkashi-based NIM, reside in buildings near the shrine that withstood the June, 2013 deluge.
The work starts at 8. 30 a.m. and continues till 6 in the evening, says Col. Kothiyal. Spread across 500 metres around the shrine, the work will continue through the winter, till the temple is opened for the yatra season next year.
Stocked up “Food for four-five months has been stored in Kedarnath. Wood, kerosene and all other essential items have been stocked up so that the work can continue through the winter,” Rudraprayag District Magistrate Raghav Langer says.
Heavy machinery will be transported from Gauchar to Kedarnath after December 25 when the helipad will be ready for Mi-26 to land.
