Dehradun: An elaborate construction plan for a new township near Kedarnath will be rolled out soon keeping in mind safety of the famed Himalayan shrine as suggested by experts, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat said on Wednesday.
"We are working on an elaborate plan to construct a new Kedarpuri striking a balance between safety of the shrine and interests of teertha purohits which will soon be rolled out," he told reporters here.
The plan will give due consideration not only to safety measures recommended by the Geological Survey of India but also to commercial interests of teertha purohits whose economy heavily depends on the annual pilgrimage to the Himalayan temple, Rawat said.
The GSI which conducted a study on the reconstruction of Kedarpuri and submitted its recommendations to the state government does not want any construction within five km radius around the shrine for safety reasons.
However, the teertha purohits whose livelihood is connected to the pilgrimage do not want their business establishments to be located far from the shrine.
"Our effort is to thrash out a middle-of-the-road solution in the construction plan without compromising either safety aspects of the temple and pilgrims or the interests of teertha purohits who will have their business establishments in Kedarpuri among other things," Rawat said.
"We will take care of the interests of teertha purohits, but they should also show sensitivity to our safety concerns and abide by the recommendations made by experts in this regard," he said.
