DEHRADUN, INDIA, January 21, 2014 (Times Of India): Only a few months are left for the Kailash Mansarovar yatra to begin. But Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN), the nodal agency for the ministry of external affairs-organized yatra, is still undecided about the route that the yatris will take through Uttarakhand this year. [HPI note: this is for pilgrims going into Tibet from India, a different route than those going there via Nepal.] The main route of the pilgrimage — which is scheduled to begin from June 8 this year — was badly affected during the flash floods last year leading to the yatra being called off. Repair work in this area is progressing at a slow pace and it is unclear whether the route would be ready before the yatra commences.
Shirish Kumar, general manager, KMVN, told TOI that they were hopeful that the main route will open before the yatra begins but added they were also exploring the possibility of using two alternative routes as a backup plan this year. However, sources add that the alternative routes being considered could be “risky and unsafe for pilgrims.”
The yatra passes through Almora, Dania, Pithoragarh, Dharchula, Tawaghat and Narayan Ashram on a motorable road. The stretch between Dharchula and Narayan Ashram is presently being repaired. A 60-meter-long road bridge at Kanchyoti village between Dharchula and Narayan Ashram and large portions of road in the nearby Tawaghat area were washed away in the flash-floods last year. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and PWD are handling the repair and construction work in the area along with the Indo-Tibetan Border Police.
The recent announcement of the yatra dates by the ministry of external affairs, though, has put the state government under pressure to expedite the ongoing repair work. “We have now taken up construction of Kanchyoti road bridge and damaged roads near Tawaghat as a “special case.” With the help of BRO and PWD, we hope to clear the entire route by March end or April this year,” says Neeraj Khairwal, DM, Pithoragarh.