Kedarnath (Uttarakhand) [India], October 11 (ANI): Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday, visited the Kedarnath Temple and inspected the development works there.

Rudraprayag (Kedarnath) [India], October 1 (ANI): Pilgrims visiting the holy shrine of Kedarnath need not worry, said temple committee officials after an avalanche hit the mountains behind the Kedarnath Temple on Saturday morning.

Dehradun Oct 28 PTI Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Kedarnath on November 5 a priest of the Himalayan temple has alleged misuse of government funds allocated for the Kedarpuri reconstruction projects by the BJP-led Uttarakhand dispensationBrij Ballabh Bagwadi who has been serving as a teerth purohit pilgrimage priest at the temple for the last 31 years was seen levelling the allegations in a video in the presence of former Uttarakhand chief minister and Congress general secretary Harish Rawat The video was shot in Kedarnath when Rawat visited the temple on TuesdayWhen contacted on Thursday Bagwadi alleged that the current dispensation has wasted billions of rupees by demolishing works done by the previous government led by Rawat adding that the money wasted so far would have been enough to build another KedarnathTargeting the state government over the allegations the Uttarakhand Congress said that the current dispensation is only trying to put its stamp on the work done by the previous governmentThe BJP however said that the whole world knows that everything done in Kedarnath is Prime Minister Narendra Modis contributionBagwadi claimed he has nothing to do with the Congress or the BJP and is only voicing his hurt feelings to unburden his heartA rest house built at a cost of crores of rupees by the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering at the helipad in Kedarnath was demolished just to expand the helipad a riverside ghat built at an expense of Rs 20-21 crore was demolished just because its steps were not wide enough and the Aastha Path fitted with solar lights was also destroyed and now something else is being constructed in its place he claimedThe government has no plans All development works are unfinished The Centre is sending funds but the policymakers in the state have no clue as to what needs to be done For them Kedarnath has become a milch cow Bagwadi saidThe teerth purohits have raised these issues with the administration and the government several times but locals are not being given any importance he allegedDuring his visit PM Modi will unveil a statue of Adi Guru Shankaracharya and inaugurate and lay the foundation stones of reconstruction projects worth more than Rs 400 croreThis will be Modis second visit to the state within a month The prime minister has been closely monitoring the Kedarpuri reconstruction projectsUttarakhand Congress president Ganesh Godiyal said he has been saying all along that the BJP government has done nothing new in KedarnathIt has just changed a stone here and a tile there to put its stamp on the work done by the previous government and pass it off as its work he saidHowever BJPs state media incharge Manveer Chauhan said Everyone knows Kedarpuri reconstruction is Prime Minister Narendra Modis dream project The whole world knows that everything done in Kedarnath is the Prime Ministers contribution The Congress did nothing The portals of Kedarnath are scheduled to be closed for winter on November 6 on the occasion of Bhai Dooj PTI ALM DIV DIV

Dehradun Oct 26 PTI Former chief minister Harish Rawat Tuesday offered prayers at Kedarnath and promised the teerth-purohits at the Himalayan temple he will dissolve the Chardham Devasthanam Board if elected to powerHis forehead smeared with sandalwood paste and a trident in hand Rawat also danced next to an ascetic with long tresses to the chants of Shiv tandav stotram outside the templeThe Congress leader later posted several videos of his visit to Kedarnath on his Facebook pageTalking to reporters in Kedarnath Rawat said most of the reconstruction works done in Kedarpuri had been initiated during his tenure as the chief ministerHowever the present government has made superficial changes in the works to put its own stamp on them and pass them off as its own he saidWhen asked about his priorities if elected to power again Rawat said he would first take up his unfinished work and ensure that the traditional rights of hak-hakookdharis and priests remain intactTo a question on whether he would dissolve the Devasthanam Board he said From our side it stands dissolved The teerth-purohits standing next to Rawat greeted his announcement with loud cheers shouting slogans like Harish Rawat tum sangharsh karo hum tumhare saath hain Harish Rawat you lead the fight we are with youTeerth-purohits have been agitating against the board ever since it came into existence during Trivendra Singh Rawats tenure They feel it was an encroachment upon their traditional rights over the temple Prompted by their prolonged agitation against the board Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had to set up a committee headed by Manohar Kant Dhyani to look into the issue and submit a reportThe panel spoke to all stakeholders and submitted its report to the state government on MondayHowever the recommendations of the committee have not been made public PTI ALM TIR TIR

Dehradun Oct 26 PTI Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Kedarnath on November 5 a day ahead of the closure of the Himalayan temple for winters to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of Kedarpuri reconstruction projects worth over Rs 400 crore It will be his second visit to the state within a month He had visited AIIMS Rishikesh on October 7 to inaugurate an oxygen plant there Confirming Modis visit to Kedarnath next month Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said besides offering prayers at the Himalayan temple the prime minister will lay inaugurate and the foundation stone of Kedarpuri reconstruction projects He will also unveil a statue of Adi Guru Shankaracharya Dhami said Modi has visited Kedarnath several times after becoming prime minister in 2014 He could not come to Kedarnath last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic Prime Minister Modi has been closely monitoring Kedarpuri reconstruction projects The portals of Kedarnath are scheduled to be closed for winter on November 6 on the occasion of Bhaiyya Dooj PTI ALM ANB ANB

Dehradun Sep 17 PTI A day after the Uttarakhand High Court vacated its stay on the annual Chardham Yatra Chief Secretary S S Sandhu visited Kedarnath Friday and directed officials to make adequate arrangements for a safe pilgrimage to the Himalayan shrineThe High Court had Thursday lifted its stay on the yatra but directed the state government to conduct the pilgrimage with strict adherence to COVID-19 normsSandhu who also reviewed the progress of the reconstruction exercise at Kedarpuri directed the officials to expedite the work without compromising on qualityHe advised them to set a weekly target and examine whether they achieved itThe chief secretary asked forest officials to carry out attractive plantation on either side of the temple on the hillsHe also spoke to labourers at work in Kedarpuri and asked officials to address their problemsHe also directed them to speed up efforts to get forest clearance for developing the Chorabari trek route and restoring the old road from Garurdchatti to Rambada PTI ALM TIR TIR