Kedarnath pilgrims to face trouble in finding accommodation

With the yatra expected to start in the first week of May, the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) wants to build pre-fabricated structures to cater to the housing needs of pilgrims, but work did not start due to lack of funds.

BKTC had 32 huge guesthouses for pilgrims, but these were all devastated by the mid-June calamity last year. Blaming the Uttarakhand government for not releasing funds for developing housing infrastructure in the region, BKTC president Ganesh Godhiyal said, "We had suffered a loss of Rs 200 crore in the tragedy, but the state government did not pay any heed to our demands.

It is now that the chief minister has agreed to pay Rs 10 crore to the committee for development of Kedarnath region."

A senior state government official acknowledged that the entire government machinery is focusing on restoring the road connectivity and other infrastructure in the region. He added, though, that the committee will be given monetary package "as per the requirement."