Preparations underway for second phase of Kedarnath Yatra, helicopter services to resume on Sept 15

Rudraprayag (Uttarakhand) [India], August 29 (ANI): Preparations for the second phase of the Kedarnath Yatra have been intensified in Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand. Arrangements are also underway to resume helicopter services in the Kedarnath Valley.
Helicopter operations are scheduled to restart from September 15, while the date for heli-ticket bookings will be announced soon.
Rudraprayag District Magistrate Vishal Mishra told ANI, "Helicopter services have been arranged for the pilgrims, which were stopped due to the monsoon. A DGCA team will inspect in the first week of September, and services will be resumed thereafter."
"I also held a meeting with the district administration. Instructions have also been issued to address any damage or to carry out necessary upgrades. The Chief Minister has directed that all preparations be completed in time. The monitoring system has to be on 100 per cent alert mode," Mishra added.
The second phase of Yatra will resume in September. The Kedarnath Temple will remain open till November.
Kedarnath is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, situated in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand and is also one of the Chardhams.
On Friday, DM Vishal Mishra highlighted heightened safety protocols across fragile Himalayan zones, noting that administrative watchfulness has been scaled up in light of recent climatic concerns witnessed in neighbouring mountain regions and a flash flood in Nepal.
He said, "The Kedarnath region in Rudraprayag district has long been considered highly sensitive, having witnessed massive destruction during the devastating disaster of 2013. Since then, the administration has maintained constant surveillance over vulnerable areas."
Despite a challenging monsoon in Uttarakhand this year, 522,634 more devotees have undertaken the Char Dham Yatra compared to last year.
Looking at the total number of devotees at the four shrines so far, 1,654,263 pilgrims have visited Badrinath, 1,465,370 have visited Kedarnath, 747,671 have visited Gangotri and 668,163 have visited Yamunotri. In addition, 269,430 devotees have paid obeisance at Hemkund Sahib.
There is tremendous enthusiasm among devotees for the darshan of Lord Badri Vishal, with Badrinath alone witnessing an increase of 362,304 pilgrims compared to last year. (ANI)