DEHRADUN, June 29, 2013: "A new Kedarnath will come up from the rubble of the current devastated town," said Uttarakhand chief minister Vijay Bahuguna on Friday. Not the temple, of course, but everything around it. In an exclusive conversation with TOI, Bahuguna shared his plans for creating the blueprint of a new town that won't be cluttered around the shrine and will be built using scientific and modern technologies.

"We will take the advice of experts as and when we start the work for re-building Kedarnath," he added.

Bahuguna said considering the large number of people missing after the devastation, the government has decided to make registration of pilgrims and tourists to Kedarnath and Yamunotri mandatory. The process would be similar to the registration before the Kailash-Mansarovar yatra. However, for Badrinath and Gangotri, there are no such plans at present, he said.

Bahuguna said a key step that the state plans to take is to control construction activities around the temple areas. "We've decided that no structure will come up close to the temple." A reason for the heavy casualties and destruction in Kedarnath town is being attributed to the clutter around the temple area.

A lot of the construction there took place unregulated, as the flow of pilgrims into the town multiplied over the years. Bahuguna said that as Kedarnath falls in an earthquake-sensitive belt, the government will involve seismic experts while re-developing the town.

"Also, we will consult a host of other experts like environmentalists and archaeologists to carry out the whole process scientifically. The idea is to ensure that whatever comes up henceforth does so in a planned and structured manner."

The devastation from floods and landslides offer a lot of learning which will be useful in planning for the future, he said. "And this is crucial not only for Uttarakhand, but for all the Himalayan states."

The CM said the government is taking every step possible to find out survivors and also trace out those missing. "This is the top priority for us, and we will leave no stone unturned to ensure that those still found missing are accounted for."

To ensure that pilgrim and other tourist inflow into the Kedarnath town remains accounted for in the future, Bahuguna said the state government has decided to seek registration of all those who intend to visit the town. "But unlike the Kailash Mansarovar yatra, where the number of pilgrims is few, those visiting Kedarnath are in lakhs. However, we have decided to do this in the future and account for whoever enters there."

Source: The Times of India, DT. June 29, 2013.