Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at Badrinath Dham in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand on Friday.
Before arriving in Chamoli, PM Modi visited Kedarnath Dham in Rudraprayag and offered prayers in one of the holy shrines donning a traditional pahadi outfit, Chola Dora, that was gifted to him by Himachali women during his tour to the state.
PM Modi arrived at Jolly Grant airport in Dehradun earlier in the day and was received by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Governor Lt Gen (Retd) Gurmeet Singh.
He later laid the foundation stone of the Kedarnath ropeway project and after that visited the Adi Guru Shankaracharya Samadhi Sthal.
He also reviewed the progress of development works along Mandakini Asthapath and Saraswati Asthapath.
Prime Minister is on a visit to the Himalayan state to lay the foundation stone of projects worth over Rs 3,400 crore.
After worshipping at Badrinath, PM Modi is scheduled to review the progress of the development work of the riverfront, followed by laying the foundation stone of road and ropeway projects at Mana village. He will review the progress of the development work of the arrival plaza and lakes.
The ropeway in Kedarnath will be around 9.7 km long and will connect Gaurikund to Kedarnath, reducing the travel time between the two places from 6-7 hours at present to only about 30 mins. The Hemkund ropeway will connect Govindghat to Hemkund Sahib. It will be around 12.4 km long and will reduce the travel time from more than a day to only about 45 mins. This ropeway will also connect Ghangaria, which is the gateway to Valley of Flowers National Park, said the PMO statement.
The ropeways, which will be developed at a cumulative cost of around Rs 2,430 crore, are an environment-friendly mode of transport that will provide a safe, secure and stable mode of transport. This major infrastructure development will give a boost to religious tourism, which will give a fillip to the economic development in the region and lead to the creation of multiple employment opportunities as well.
Foundation stone for road widening projects worth around Rs 1000 crore will also be laid during the visit. The two road widening projects - from Mana to Mana Pass (NH07) and from Joshimath to Malari (NH107B) - shall be another step towards providing last-mile all-weather road connectivity to our border areas. Apart from boosting connectivity, these projects will also prove beneficial from a strategic point of view as well.
Kedarnath and Badrinath are among the most important Hindu shrines. The area is also known for one of the revered Sikh Pilgrim site - Hemkund Sahib. The connectivity projects are aimed to ease access and improve basic infrastructure in places of religious significance.
( With inputs from ANI )
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