10 yrs on, Kedarnath still picking up the pieces

A decade has passed since the dance of death in Kedarnath. In the evening of June 16, 2013, and then again next morning, sudden but torrential rains, devastating floods, and a series of landslides had hit this holy town. Rocks, mammoth boulders and icy waves of water – some rising 30 feet high – tore and flattened whatever stood in their way. Mountains, buildings, pilgrimage routes, roads, trees, the jungle – nothing was spared. When it was over, thousands of people, mostly pilgrims, lay dead.Tough weather conditions and the punishing Himalayan terrain made rescuing the survivors a challenge in the following days. Even air force choppers found it difficult to land. I was one of the many journalists who went into the region in 2013 to report on the destruction, the humanitarian crisis and the subsequent relief efforts. And now, visiting after all these years, the feeling I get is of a region frozen in time.Don’t get me wrong – the old bustle is back. Thousands of pilgrims have been trudging up to Kedarnath before the monsoon arrives. Local shopkeepers and tent owners are doing brisk business. But the scars of 2013 are everywhere. The rubble of damaged buildings remains, and much of the infrastructure is temporary. Cold Comfort For Visitors While the plains bake in mid-June, Kedarnath is icy cold. The town sits at 12,000 feet (about 3,600m) in the western Garhwal Himalayas, and the mercury settles at -3 degrees Celsius the night I arrive. Yet, lodgings in this town aren’t designed for its cold climate. Even the chief priest of the Kedarnath Temple stays in a bare-bones place close by. A room heater is his chief comfort despite the frequent power cuts.Into this ill-equipped town, pilgrims troop all day. Their progress is made slower by the new yatra route that’s tougher than the old one that got washed away. And when they get here, there aren’t enough all-weather buildings to take them in. You will find many of them asking for rooms till late into the night.I am lucky to find a room, but it is a poky room just big enough for a medium-sized bed with old bedding, and an arguably clean toilet. Each one of these rooms will set you back Rs 4,000-8,000 for a night.But most pilgrims – including the elderly, parents with small children, and those with modest means – spend the night in sleeping bags inside tents set alarmingly close to the Mandakini river, whose bone-chilling water had caused the devastation in 2013. In fact, there are tents and temporary structures all over the small town, and pilgrims have to pay from Rs 500 to a few thousand rupees to sleep in one of them.Hygiene is a big concern in these colonies of tents as each toilet is used by scores of people. And hot water for bathing is a luxury. “You can get a bucket of hot water for Rs 100-150, but you will need to carry it to your bathroom,” a room broker tells me. You might want to save that money for a bottle of drinking water that costs Rs 80-120 here. A plate of hot Maggi noodles comes for around Rs 80. I pay Rs 250 for a thali of chapati, daal and sabzi at one of the popular eating joints.You can’t help but feel how a little support from police and other district authorities could have helped the pilgrims. But for now, it is a laissez-faire system in which the administration is conspicuous by its absence.Pilgrims anyway don’t dwell on these complaints for long because all they want is a darshan of ‘Baba Kedar’. They queue up patiently chanting ‘Om Namah Shivay’, ‘Bam Bam Bhole’ and ‘Jai Baba Kedar’. Often, the queue is longer than 2km, and you might have to stand for hours. Those willing to shell out more, or having the right contacts, can get tickets for VIP darshan, but even then, meeting Baba takes time.Medium108410544 Not An Easy Destination One reason why the state has been unable to remove the debris and build new permanent structures is the absence of a motorable road to Kedarnath. The difficult terrain and environmental concerns of carrying out construction in a sensitive mountainous zone stand in its way.If you can afford it, a chopper ride is the easiest way to reach Kedarnath. A two-way ticket for the 7-8-minute ride from Guptkashi, about 35km away, costs almost Rs 6,300. This time, the state government has tied up with IRCTC for chopper bookings to prevent fleecing and fraud. However, the flying experience feels unprofessional, even dangerous, with ill-prepared staff, erratic schedules (partly due to the fast-changing weather), and lack of processes.I take a ride with Thumby Aviation, who have no security checks for passenger cargo and luggage, and no explanations or support for the long delays. Other operators are no better.The alternative is to trek for 10-12 hours from Sonprayag, a few kilometres away from Guptkashi, on difficult terrain. It’s a roughly 20km trek with a steep slope that even 20-year-olds find challenging. And the army of ponies that moves up and down this path, carrying pilgrims, makes walking even more difficult.People I meet in Kedarnath say the pony operators charge much more than the government-approved rates. Archana Shivalkar, a Mumbaikar who walked up to Kedarnath beside her 66-year-old mother who rode a pony, says there should be more facilities along the way: “We need more support from the administration as we climb up. There should be designated areas for people to sit and relax, as they get tired on the inclines.”The Centre has approved a ropeway to connect Kedarnath with Gaurikund that will reduce the journey time to less than one hour, but a lot remains to be done to make the pilgrimage a satisfying and comfortable experience for the thousands who visit this temple town daily from late-April to the start of winter.Medium108410545 ‘Reconstruction on in full swing, addressing needs of pilgrims’ With the Kedarnath yatra going strong after the opening of the temple in late April, TOI’s Pankaj Doval spoke to Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami on the state government’s plans to make the journey easier and more comfortable for pilgrims. Excerpts: Ten years have passed since the devastating flash floods. How challenging has it been for the state government to rebuild Kedarnath and create sufficient transport and lodging facilities for pilgrims?It’s true that the reconstruction of Kedarnath has been a big challenge. Because of PM Narendra Modi’s deep faith in Baba Kedarnath and his special attachment to Uttarakhand, we have received immense support from the Centre. With assistance from the Centre, reconstruction work is going on at Kedarnath Dham at a cost of Rs 750 crore. Work on the Gaurikund-Kedarnath ropeway is also on. The state administration has provided all kinds of facilities to the pilgrims, which is among the reasons behind the record number of people visiting this year.When TOI visited Kedarnath, the town appeared unable to handle the massive influx of pilgrims. Lodging facilities for pilgrims are limited, and there are tents on the banks of Mandakini river.The reconstruction work of Kedarnath is progressing in the right direction. Soon, Kedarnath will be ready for pilgrims in its grand and divine form with all the facilities. At present, the administration is doing its work with promptness and all the necessary facilities are being provided to passengers. Efficient management and best arrangements have been made for the pilgrims. The administration is working with full vigilance to solve their problems.The debris of buildings and many other dwellings in Kedarnath that were impacted by the 2013 flash floods are still scattered in the area. Many bylanes are in a poor condition. When does that get cleared and how do you create new, clean dwellings?As I said earlier, the reconstruction work of Kedarnath Dham is happening on a war footing. The problems being highlighted will end automatically after the completion of reconstruction work. Kedarnath Dham will have all the facilities and clean accommodation.The new yatra route is long and takes around 8-12 hours to cover on foot. Are you planning to create alternative routes that are easier to trek, especially for the elderly?We are well aware of the challenges faced by the pilgrims on the yatra route. The foundation stone of the Gaurikund-Kedarnath ropeway project has been laid. Soon, pilgrims will have access to the ropeway service to Kedarnath Dham. For a successful Char Dham yatra, several meetings were held at the secretariat level months ago. The district administration is addressing the problems arising at the local level on the spot. The operation of the Char Dham yatra is also being monitored at the level of the chief secretary.Pilgrims are complaining about excess fees charged by pony services and palki providers. Also, there are issues around access to clean toilets and hot water. How are you planning to manage this? There is strict vigilance by the district administration on the yatra route. Pony services and palki providers are charging fixed fees. The district administration has made complete arrangements for the cleaning of toilets and their maintenance. Hot water has been arranged at various places.Helicopter services to Kedarnath from Guptkashi, Phata and other areas are being operated without much accountability. Services can get delayed by hours and pilgrims are not given any information. Also, there is no apparent security check for baggage, and operators are not responding to customer complaints. How are you tackling this?Strict monitoring has been maintained by authorities to ensure all the safety standards are followed by helicopter service companies. Information centres have been set up at various places for the convenience of passengers. The district administration has appointed nodal officers for this and they are solving the problems of pilgrims on the spot.