PM promises to develop Kedarnath as model pilgrimage site

Kedarnath, Oct 20: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday promised to develop Kedarnath shrine into a model pilgrimage site. Stressing that his government was building quality infrastructure in Kedarnath, Mr Modi, who visited the holy Kedarnath temple and sought blessings from Lord Shiva to fulfill the dreams of a developed India by 2022, said the reconstruction plans had been made with the pilgrims' and priests interest kept in mind. The reconstruction would be based on modern engineering as well as traditional thinking. Sufficient funds would be made available for completing the projects in a time-bound manner, assured the PM, who was making his second visit to the pilgrimage site this year, laid the foundation stones of five major reconstruction projects at Kedarpuri. These included improved facilities for devotees, construction of retaining walls and ghats at the Mandakini and Saraswati rivers, an approach road to the shrine and reconstructing Adi Guru Shankaracharya's tomb swept away in the 2013 deluge. Addressing a public gathering here during his two-hour long visit, Mr Modi also stressed that no environment laws would be flouted while executing the ambitious Kedarnath plan. 'While building modern infrastructure in Kedarnath, its traditional soul will be preserved and we will ensure that environment laws are not flouted,' Mr Modi said. UNI