From DefExpo to Kedarnath darshan, PM Modi's itinerary as diverse as it gets

Dehradun, Oct 20: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been having a very packed schedule ahead of Diwali and his itinerary is as diverse as it can possibly be. From inaugurating DefExpo and launching the global mission LiFE in the last couple of days, the Prime Minister is now headed to Kedarnath and Badrinath on Friday. During his visit, besides the darshan, he will inspect various ongoing development works and also lay foundation stones for some new projects.

He performed pooja at around 8:30 am in Kedarnath after which he will lay the foundation stone of the Kedarnath Ropeway Project.

The ropeway in Kedarnath will be around 9.7 Km long and will connect Gaurikund to Kedarnath, reducing the travel time between the two places from 6-7 hours at present, to only about 30 mins. The Hemkund ropeway will connect Govindghat to Hemkund Sahib. It will be around 12.4 Km long and will reduce the travel time from more than a day to only about 45 mins. This ropeway will also connect Ghangaria, which is the gateway to Valley of Flowers National Park.

The ropeways, which will be developed at a cumulative cost of around Rs 2430 crore, are an environmental friendly mode of transport that will provide safe, secure and stable mode of transport. This major infrastructure development will give a boost to religious tourism, which will give a fillip to the economic development in the region and lead to creation of multiple employment opportunities as well, his office said in a statement.

After that, the Prime Minister will visit the Adi Guru Shankaracharya Samadhi Sthal. He will then review the progress of development works along Mandakini Asthapath and Saraswati Asthapath.

Thereafter, Prime Minister will visit Badrinath Temple. At 12 noon, he will review the progress of development work of riverfront, followed by laying the foundation stone of road and ropeway projects at Mana village at 12:30 PM. The PM will also review the progress of the development work of arrival plaza and lakes.

In view of the visit, security arrangements have been tightened in the area, an official told PTI.

The Prime Minister will spend Friday night in Badrinath.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said the prime minister's visit to Kedarnath-Badrinath will prove to be a milestone in the development of Uttarakhand.

He said the connectivity projects being undertaken at these places reflect the prime minister's commitment to ease access and improve basic infrastructure in places of religious significance.