Badrinath Dham to become mini smart city of spirituality by 2025
Dehradun: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday evening directed the Uttarakhand government to develop Badrinath shrine as a mini smart and spiritual city without compromising on the religious sanctity and mythological importance of the region while planning out the master plan (2025).
The PM gave a series of directions to the state government during
a video conference meeting with Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, Chief Secretary Om Prakash and Tourism Minister Satpal Maharaj. The PM was shown a presentation on the master plan of Shri Badrinath Dham and during the meeting, the CM apprised Modi about the massive redevelopment work being undertaken at Kedarnath Dham in Rudraprayag district.
According to a communication from the CM office, Modi categorically stated that while working out the master plan for the Badrinath Dham, special care must be taken to spiritual sanctity and im-portance of the revered shrine. The PM remarked that the Badrinath's master plan should not be based on tourism alone but should be purely spiritual. The PM also directed the state government to develop home stay in
large numbers in the region to facilitate pilgrims visiting the
Badrinath. The PM also asked the state government to make
arrangements for special lighting at the entry of the Badrinath
shrine. During the meeting, the CM presented the progress report of the reconstruction work of Shri Kedarnath Dham. Rawat informed the PM that local people are cooperating in the development works of Badrinath Dham and Kedarnath Dham.
The CM pointed out that the work on the homestay is being done in nearby villages in both Kedarnath and Badrinath. The CM pledged to develop the Vyasa and Ganesh cave for pilgrims since both have special significance and mythological importance in Badrinath Dham. For the Badrinath master plan the state government has acquired 85 hectares of land and has plans to construct a state-of-the-art museum and art gallery for devotees. The CS informed the PM about the progress work of the Shankaracharya Samadhi Sthal and completion of the Saraswati Ghat and the site for Brahma Kamal nursery has been identified in Kedarnath and the work of seed collection is underway.
