Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announced on Tuesday helicopter services in Kedarnath will resume from Wednesday with pilgrims getting a concession of 25 per cent on fare.
Dhami met with senior officials in Rudraprayag on Tuesday to review the relief and rescue operation in the rain-ravaged Kedarnath trek route.
"The damage is of large scale. The route has been breached at 29 places due to landslides. Water and power supply lines have been hit, besides disruption to telecommunication lines," the chief minister said.
An alternative route for pilgrims should be readied and new helipads should also be built, he added.
"But collective efforts made by the disaster management department, the district administration, the SDRF, NDRF, the priest community, and public representatives helped in rescuing such a large number of people," the minister said.
Dhami also said the rescue work is almost over and the entire focus now is on how to resume the yatra by repairing the damaged infrastructure en route to the Himalayan temple, he said.
"However, the helicopter service to Kedarnath is beginning from tomorrow. The pilgrims who go for a darshan to the temple by helicopter will get a rebate of 25 per cent on their tickets," Dhami told reporters.
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