Renovation and repair works along the route from Gaurikund to the Kedarnath Temple are in their final stages ahead of the reopening of the shrine on April 22. A major hurdle—five to six feet of accumulated snow—has now been cleared, allowing authorities to complete the remaining work.
With the temple set to reopen for pilgrims, teams from the Rudraprayag District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) have been working at a rapid pace, particularly in areas beyond Rambara, to ensure the route is ready. The heavy snowfall at higher altitudes had caused significant blockages along the Kedarnath track, but these have now been largely removed.
PWD Executive Engineer Rajbind Singh said that nearly 80 per cent of the snow clearance work has been completed. Workers have been engaged for several days in clearing snow along the stretch from Rambara to the temple, and the route from Gaurikund to Kedarnath is now open for movement.
He added that managing the snow accumulation caused by untimely snowfall was technically challenging, especially across glacier-prone points such as Tharu, Lincholi, Hathni, Bhairav, and Kuber.
However, officials have expressed concern over the potential risk of glacier slides and snow mass movement due to rising temperatures in the coming days. Authorities said that security personnel and monitoring teams have been deployed along the trekking route to address any such risks during the pilgrimage season.
The Char Dham Yatra will commence with the opening of the portals of Gangotri Temple and Yamunotri Temple, followed by Kedarnath on April 22 and Badrinath Temple a day later.
Meanwhile, preparations for the pilgrimage are being finalised. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday flagged off the first batch of buses carrying pilgrims to Gangotri and Yamunotri for the opening ceremonies.