Uttarakhand DIG G.S. Martolia, who is also the Special Task Force commander in Kedarnath, said: “Though the weather is proving to be a big hurdle, we are hopeful of completing the task before the start of the pilgrimage season.
“We are just waiting for the weather to improve so that we can resume reconstruction work.”
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.
The 6km patch connecting Sonprayag to Gaurikund is unlikely to become fully functional this season forcing pilgrims to take a total of 20km trek to reach the famous Hindu shrine
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.
The 6km patch connecting Sonprayag to Gaurikund is unlikely to become fully functional this season forcing pilgrims to take a total of 20km trek to reach the famous Hindu shrine.
Parking facilities for 2,000 vehicles has been created at Sonprayag.
Braving adverse climatic conditions and tough terrain, the STF is working round the clock to meet the May 4 deadline.
Located at a height of 3,581 metres, pilgrims visiting Kedarnath will have to use a new 7km 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.
Construction work for creating the new trek from Rambara is presently underway and is expected to be complete by the end of the month.