DEHRADUN: Continuing New India’s quest for becoming a spiritual superpower by reconstructing its past glory, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently laid the foundation stone of a ropeway at Kedarnath shrine in Uttarakhand. To be built at a cost of Rs 1,267 crore, the 9.7-km ropeway will cut the time pilgrims take to reach the shrine from Gaurikund.
Dressed in traditional Uttarakhandi clothes, PM Modi also offered prayers at the Samadhi Sthal of Adi Shankaracharya. Uttarakhand Governor Gurmit Singh and Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami also accompanied the PM.
The PM also took stock of the reconstruction and development works in Kedarnath besides interacting with the workers engaged in the work before leaving for Badrinath to offer prayers there.
At Badrinath, PM Modi took stock of the works being undertaken under the Badrinath Master Plan, addressed a public meeting at Mana, around 5 km away, and laid the foundation stone for a ropeway in Hemkund.
Officials said the reconstruction works under the first phase in Kedarnath have been completed. In the second phase, work for 21 projects worth Rs 188 crore is underway and will be completed by December 2023.
Earlier, in his rally at the Mana village, Prime Minister Modi accused previous governments of leaving centres of faith across the country in a state of neglect and said these places were now being restored to their lost glory. He cited the examples of Kashi Vishwanath temple, Ujjain and Ayodhya, where major reconstruction works have been carried out in recent years.
In view of the upcoming Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh, PM Modi said people of Himachal were all set to take a leaf out of Uttarakhand’s book and elect the BJP for the second consecutive time. “I recently visited a number of areas in Himachal Pradesh. There is a lot of talk about Uttarakhand there,” he said.
“Uttarakhand voters’ decision to reelect the BJP to power for the second consecutive term to take advantage of the double-engine system and develop the state at a faster pace is inspiring the people of Himachal also to do likewise,” he said.
