INDIA, April 20, 2014 (Daily Mail): Heavy snowfall accompanied by rainfall since Saturday night has hampered reconstruction work at flood-hit Kedarnath in Rudraprayag district. Presently a Special Task Force (STF) team, comprising Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (Uttarkashi) and the Uttarakhand Police, is engaged in constructing a trek road to the famous Hindu shrine, which will reopen on May 4. Preparations are underway to restore tourist facilities in Kedarnath, which includes creating a trek route, helipad ground, fixing water supply, electricity and other basic amenities.
Devotees in large numbers visit Kedarnath from different parts of India to offer tributes to Lord Shiva. But the flow of tourists has seen a drastic decline ever since last year’s devastating flash-flood.
Till last year, the trek for Kedarnath used to start from Gaurikund but this time the pilgrims will have to walk an additional distance because of the slow reconstruction work. Located at a height of 11,750 ft., pilgrims visiting Kedarnath will have to use a new 4.3 mile pedestrian road from Rambara onwards to reach the shrine. The earlier trek connecting Rambara to Kedarnath has been abandoned. But the trek connecting Rambara to Gaurikund will more or less remain the same.