Tests for inspecting the stability of the platform of the Kedarnath shrine are being carried out by an Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai, team.
A team from IIT-Chennai is currently at Kedarnath to carry out a geophysical testing of the shrine. The team that started the tests on June 17 shall continue inspecting the site through Multi-Channel Analysis of Spectral Waves (MASW) tests till June 20.
The restoration will jointly be carried out by the IIT-Chennai team and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) .
Rudraprayag District Magistrate Raghav Langer said, “The reports of the geophysical tests will help establish infirmities in the shrine structure and will help in identifying the major areas where restoration needs to be done.”
An amount of Rs. 2 crore, allocated to ASI for restoring the shrine, shall be used in works which include removing debris from the interior of the shrine, preserving the stone surfaces of the shrine, and repairing the areas of the structure that have been damaged.
The restoration work shall be assessed by a team comprising officials from the Union Ministry of Culture and the ASI.
At present, an ASI team is stationed at Kedarnath. Mr Langer said, “The western gate of the shrine that was damaged in the deluge was restored by the ASI last year. At present, stability of the shrine’s platform is being tested. The ASI has also proposed a wooden flooring for the shrine.”
