By OUR STAFF REPORTER
BADRINATH (CHAMOLI), 26 Apr: Chief Secretary (CS) Anand Bardhan arrived in Badrinath on Saturday and conducted a detailed inspection of the ongoing master plan works in the Badrinath Dham. During his visit, he reviewed the progress of ongoing key infrastructure projects, including the Arrival Plaza, Civic Amenity Centre, Badrish and Shesh Netra Lake, River Front, and the hospital.
On this occasion, Bardhan instructed the executive agency concerned to complete the Civic Amenity Centre, Arrival Plaza, and Tourism Management Centre by May, further directing the agency to hand over the hospital by August and expedite the completion of the F and G Face of the River Front.
District Magistrate (DM) Sandeep Tiwari briefed the CS on the progress of master plan works, sharing that the essential facilities such as drinking water, electricity supply, and toilets had been already installed at the Dham. He assured that under the master plan, projects including Brahma Kapal, River Front, Astha Path, Arrival Plaza, and Darshan Line would be completed by the time the temple gates reopen.
The DM also briefed the CS that electricity and water connections for traders and other residents arriving at the Dham had been activated. He also noted that Sulabh International had completed repairs of toilets in the area.
The DM further stated that improvements to the internal pathways of the Dham were also making a rapid progress and that environmental personnel have been deployed for city cleanliness. He also shared information regarding ongoing repairs to damaged footpaths, assuring that the work would be completed soon. SP Akshay Prahlad Konde affirmed that security provisions at the Dham had been strengthened, with police personnel, NDRF, and SDRF teams deployed to handle any potential disaster situation and that the Police authorities were implementing stringent security and traffic management measures.
Accompanying the Chief Secretary during the inspection were Tourism Secretary Sachin Kurve, SDM Joshimath SDM CS Vashisht, Chief Engineer PWD Rajesh Chandra, BKTC CEO Vijay Thapliyal, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Abhishek Gupta, Assistant Engineer of PIU Sunny Paliwal, and officials associated with the Yatra arrangements.
