Uttarakhand plans to develop areas around Kedarnath for winter tourism

Harish Rawat, the chief minister of Uttarakhand, has laid the foundation stone of reconstruction projects worth nearly Rs 115 crore to organize a festival in January to attack tourists to the scenic spot. He plans to develop the area as the paradise of winter tourism.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 15 October 2015.

He has also indicated that he would contact his counterparts all over the country requesting them to come to Uttarakhand and set up lodging facilities in the name of their respective states to encourage more tourists from across the country to visit the famed Himalayan shrine at Amarnath.
One of the projects is a helipad for MI-26 helicopters at a cost of over Rs 23 crore. Then there were other tourism related projects of over Rs 91 crore.
The region had witnessed mass devastation in the flash floods of 2013 and the state government was working on a three-tiered safety plan for the shrine. These include channelisation of rivers flowing behind it, raising security walls in Kedarpuri, securing the temple from inundation and strengthening the communication system in the entire region.
Projects that have been inaugurated by the chief minister include IT and Wi-Fi projects implemented by District Disaster Management Authority to strengthen the communication system in Kedar valley, installation of LED digital display boards for weather related information and 25 cottages equipped with modern facilities for devotees who would be visiting Kedarnath.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Choppers for pilgrims to Kedarnath shrine destroying the eco-system of Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary

The chopper services for pilgrims to Kedarnath shrine poses a risk to the eco-system in the region and affects the Kedarnath Sanctuary which is home to exotic flora and fauna. Many of the pilgrims want to avoid the 16-Km trek to visit the shrine in Rudraprayag district and go in for the chopper services.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 24 August 2015.

In the opinion of NGO Doaba Paryavaran Samiti, helicopter operations in the region for religious tourism has "seriously disturbed the eco-system and fauna of Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary". Hence, it has expressed concern over the "looming threat" to flora and fauna in the eco-sensitive Wildlife Sanctuary.
It seems endangered species like musk deer and Himalayan Tahr (like wild goats) have abandoned their habitat. The noise from the low- flying helicopters has affected the breeding of these endangered species.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has, therefore, sought responses from the Environment and Forests Ministry, the state government National Board of Wild Life and others, on this issue.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)


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