By ARUN PRATAP SINGH
Garhwal Post Bureau
Rudraprayag/Dehradun, 29 Sep: The portals of Kedarnath Dham will close for the winter season on 23 October, on the auspicious occasion of Bhaiya Dooj, two days after Diwali. It may be reminded here that, this year, the portals are shutting earlier than last year, when the Yatra had stretched on for a longer duration. With just about 25 days left before the sacred shrine is closed, the present turnout of pilgrims failed to match that of last year and this has raised concern among local businesses and service providers.
So far, more than 15.85 lakh devotees have visited Kedarnath, averaging nearly four thousand daily. The figure is considerably lower than last year’s tally of almost 19 lakh pilgrims. Even if an additional one lakh devotees arrive in the remaining period, the cumulative figure is not expected to cross 17 lakhs, and the figure will fall well short of the previous season’s record. Even the helicopter services, which generally witness heavy bookings in this phase of the pilgrimage every year, are reporting fewer passengers, possibly owing to steep fares as well as due to apprehension of bad weather since, this year, there were chopper crashes due to bad weather. Similarly, horses, mules and porters are beginning to return from Gaurikund as the pace of the Yatra has slowed down.
The local hoteliers and traders, however, remain hopeful of a late surge in the final weeks. Nitin Jamloki, Secretary of the Kedarnath Hotel Association, pointed out that despite the rains having receded, the condition of the Kedarnath Highway continues to cause difficulties. He observed that several stretches beyond Kund, particularly near Rampur and Doliya Devi, remain dangerous for commuters and need urgent attention before the onset of the next Yatra season.
The poor state of the Sonprayag–Gaurikund motor road remains another serious impediment. During the Monsoon, this stretch of the Kedarnath route had to be frequently closed at Sonprayag and Munkatiya due to continuous boulder falls. Many vehicles have been reported damaged due to rockfall this year. Even now, the road near Rampur in Phata continues to sink each year despite repeated expenditure of lakhs of rupees on repairs, forcing heavy vehicles to be hauled out with JCB machines. At Doliya Devi, the recently laid bitumen has been ripped apart by boulders and rains, leaving behind deep potholes and a rough surface that makes vehicular movement both slow and hazardous.
For now, pilgrims reaching the shrine are able to offer darshan to Baba Kedar without much waiting, but locals insist that the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) needs to take up comprehensive repair works before the next season so that devotees do not face the same difficulties year after year.
