Cleaning of debris in Kedarnath area to begin after Dussehra

Dehradun, Sept 25: The cleaning up of debris and razing of damaged buildings in flood-affected

area, which could not be started due to frequent rains in the monsoon season, will begin after the Dussehra festival.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna announced this yesterday after his return from Delhi. Bahuguna said a bailey bridge is being built at the shrine as part of the efforts to resume pilgrimage next month. He said the state chief secretary had taken stock of the preparations there and observed that some more repair work is needed to be done before the resumption of the yatra.

Prayers at the Himalayan shrine had resumed earlier this month, but the area wears a devastated look with tonnes of rubble still lying there. Authorities had earlier made futile efforts to start the clean-up exercise as the work could not be taken up due to frequently changing weather and difficulty in transporting heavy stone cutting equipment.

The cleaning up of debris in the area is going to be a challenging task for the authorities as debris of more than 40 houses damaged in the deluge are lying there, with strong possibility of some bodies still being trapped under them.

Equipment like JCBs and bulldozers are needed for the operation and it may take months to transport them to the area, official sources here said. There are plans to dismantle big equipment and transport them with the help of IAF choppers.

PTI