PM Modi to lay foundation stones for projects worth Rs 3,400 crore in Kedarnath and Badrinath

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting Uttarakhand on October 21 to lay the foundation stone for the Kedarnath Ropeway Project worth over Rs 3,400 crore. He will also be performing puja at Kedarnath and Badrinath temples.

He will perform darshan and puja at Kedarnath temple at 8.30 AM and lay the foundation stone half an hour later. The PM will also visit the Adi Guru Shankaracharya Samadhi Sthal and review the progress of development works along Mandakini Asthapath and Saraswati Asthapath before moving on to Badrinath. Around 11.30 AM, he will perform darshan and puja at Badrinath temple. He is then scheduled to review the development work of the riverfront and lay the foundation stone for the ropeway project at Mana village. Around 2 PM, he will review the progress of the arrival plaza and lakes. said a statement issued by the PM's office.

The ropeway in Kedarnath will be around 9.7 km long. It will connect Gaurikund to Kedarnath and reduce travel time from 6-7 hours to only 30 minutes. The Hemkund ropeway will be connecting Govindghat to Hemkund Sahib. It will be around 12.4 Km long and reduce travel time from over 24 hours to around 45 minutes. This will also connect to Ghangaria - the gateway to Valley of Flowers National Park.

PMO's statement said these ropeways are an environmentally-friendly mode of transport that will provide visitors with a safe, secure, and stable option. It will cost around Rs 2,430 crore. The government is expecting the infrastructure development to boost religious tourism and support the local economy.

The Prime Minister will also be laying the foundation stone for road widening projects - from Mana to Mana Pass (NH07) and from Joshimath to Malari (NH107B) - worth Rs 1,000 crore. These are also expected to improve connectivity to border areas in all weathers.