In Uttarakhand, PM Modi offers prayers at iconic Kedarnath Dham
PM Modi is also set to visit Ayodhya ahead of Diwali for Deepotsava celebration.
As India gears up to soak in the Diwali spirit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has kicked off a hectic schedule of visits across several states. A day after he was in Gujarat, the prime minister was welcomed by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to the state - known for its holy sites - on Friday morning. Soon after PM Modi arrived, he was seen taking part in morning rituals at the iconic Kedarnath Dham. Wearing the traditional Himachali dress of Chola Dora, he offered prayers at the shrine. The dress was gifted to him by women from Chamba during one of his visits. Modi also had also visited the shrine last year in November.
After the prayers, Modi will launch the Kedarnath ropeway project. Following the launch, he would review the progress of some development projects. He is also set to visit Badrinath, and would launch a ropeway project in Mana village. While Kedarnath and Badrinath are among the most important Hindu shrines, the region’s Sikh shrine - Hemkund Sahib - is also highly revered.
The ropeway in Kedarnath - which will be around 9.7 km long - connects Gaurikund to Kedarnath, reducing the travel time between the two places from nearly seven hours at present to only about 30 minutes, an official statement underlines. Meanwhile the Hemkund ropeway - around 12.4 km long - will connect Govindghat to Hemkund Sahib. It will reduce the travel time from more than a day to only about 45 minutes. It will also connect Ghangaria, which is the gateway to Valley of Flowers National Park.
Developed at an overall cost of around ₹2,430 crore, the ropeways - being viewed as a boost to religious tourism - are an environmental friendly mode of transport that will provide safe, secure and stable mode of transport.
