By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 25 Feb: The Uttarkashi District Administration has confirmed postponement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming tour to Harsil and Mukhba. The visit has been postponed in view of heavy snowfall in the area. Official sources have stated that Modi is now likely to visit the area next month. Modi’s Uttarkashi visit was originally scheduled for 27 February, and he was also expected to stay in the area overnight. It may be recalled that the Meteorological Department has also issued a yellow alert. The state government is now likely to propose new dates in March to the PMO for confirmation.
It may be recalled that the district administration and government had made extensive preparations for the Prime Minister’s visit, including repairing the temple and the route for the Prime Minister’s arrival and departure. Full preparations were also in place for the public meeting. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had toured the area to oversee the preparations a couple of days ago and, before that, Chief Secretary Radha Raturi had also toured the area to oversee the preparations for Modi’s visit.
However, following the Meteorological Department’s warning, the visit has been ostensibly postponed temporarily. Sources indicated that now, 6 March has been proposed already as the new date for the PM’s tour. So far there is no confirmation from the PMO regarding the new date. However, CM Dhami and Garhwal Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey are reported to be continuously reviewing the preparations.
Garhwal Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey confirmed that the visit has been postponed due to the weather and a new date will be decided soon. The proposed visit on 6 March aims to promote winter travel.
This visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is considered special for several reasons. The state government had aimed to promote the Winter Yatra in the state. On the initiative of CM Dhami, Winter Yatra to the winter abodes of the deities of Char Dham shrines is being aggressively promoted from this year onwards. So far, over 36,000 devotees have participated in winter travel. If the Prime Minister visits Uttarkashi in March, it will send a positive message to the country and abroad.
The district administration and government had made extensive preparations for the Prime Minister’s visit, including repairing the temple and the route for the Prime Minister’s arrival and departure. Full preparations were also in place for a public meeting.
