The doors of Baba Kedarnath, one of the four Dhams, closed for the winter season on the occasion of Bhai Dooj, on Sunday. This year, since the shrine’s gates opened in May, 16,52,076 devotees reached Kedarnath Dham in the Kedarnath Yatra while over 1.26 lakh travellers have visited Baba Kedarnath through heli service. In the last 6 days before the gates closed, 99,000 pilgrims reached Kedarnath to seek the blessings of Mahadev. While the increase in the number of pilgrims is boosting pilgrimage and tourism, the businesses related to the pilgrimage are also getting benefits from it.
By October a total of 41,13081 pilgrims have visited the Chardham temples, which include Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. The portals of Kedarnath and Yamunotri closed on November 3, Gangotri on November 2 and Badrinath on November 17.
Improved road infrastructure under the Modi government
Here it may be noted that the flow of pilgrims has seen a massive rise over the past 10 years and this has happened due to improved infrastructure. Over the last 10 years, the Mdi government has succeeded in expanding the infrastructure network to improve coverage to border hilly regions and the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The road network has seen extensive improvements despite theoretical, natural, bureaucratic and financial difficulties. The border regions along the states of Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, and the North East have seen an increased number of tunnels and bridges thereby increasing accessibility to these otherwise difficult terrains.
It may be noted that PM Modi has also been advocating for promoting tourism in the country, especially religious tourism. To make it possible his government is also developing the necessary infrastructure for this. The Char Dham Yatra of Uttarakhand is one such example wherein PM Modi has not only worked to beautify the temple complexes related to the Yatra, but also improved all the roads connected to it to make the journey easier.
According to GoI, by March 2024 the National Highway (NH) construction in India touched 95,000 km in the 10-years of Narendra Modi govt, translating to 26 km per day.
The ambitious Bharatmala Pariyojana programme is both an enabler and beneficiary of other key initiatives of the PM such as Sagarmala, Dedicated Freight Corridors, National Logistics Policy and industrial corridors, UDAN-RCS, BharatNet, Digital India, Parvatmala and Make in India.
According to the ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the Bharatmala Pariyojana is an ambitious centrally-sponsored flagship programme for the construction of new highway projects across the country. Special emphasis has been given to providing connectivity to far-flung border and rural areas including the tribal and backward areas.
The NHAI and NHIDCL are rapidly completing various Greenfield Expressways and 35 Multi-Modal Logistics Parks (MMLPs), as part of the Bharatmala Pariyojana. Some of the major Expressways and Corridors, which are under completion are Delhi – Mumbai Expressway, Ahmedabad — Dholera Expressway, Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway, Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway, Ambala-Kotputli Expressway, Amritsar-Bhatinda-Jamnagar Expressway, Raipur-VZG Expressway, Hyderabad-VZG Expressway, Urban Extension Road-II, Chennai-Salem Expressway and Chittor-Thatchur Expressway.
Some of the major key infrastructure projects, which are at different stages of construction include prestigious Zojila Tunnel and Z-morth which will connect Srinagar and Leh.
PM Modi’s vision of an all-weather road
Due to PM Modi’s vision the roads connected to the Char Dham in Uttarakhand have become all-weather roads as these routes pass through inaccessible hills. As a result of this improved road infrastructure today lakhs of pilgrims are able to perform the Char Dham Pilgrimage.
It may be noted that the the foundation stone of the Chardham National Highway Project being prepared at Rs 12,000 crore was laid by PM Modi in December 2016. This project was named the Char Dham Mahamarg Vikas Project and the purpose of this highway project is to improve road connectivity in the holy places of Char Dham.
Moreover, under the Chardham National Highway, 5 national highways falling on the Chardham Yatra are also being redeveloped. The total length of this highway project from Tanakpur to Pithoragarh section of Kailash-Mansarovar including Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath is 889 km, out of which the construction work of 601 km of road has been completed. Under this highway project, 132 bridges are being built, out of which 25 bridges will be of high flood level. The responsibility of building this road has been handed over to the Border Road Organization.
Not just the Char Dham, the new expressways and highways have been built to connect many big cities and states of India to each other by road thus saving both distance and time.
Borders have become accessible due to improved infra
As per the GoI the total length of the international boundary line of India is about 15,000 kilometres as the country shares international boundaries with Pakistan, China, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar and Afghanistan.
Given the harsh geographical conditions in the interior of India’s borders, expanding road infrastructure is crucial to a stable supply chain for troops, rapid movement of troops and supplies, and to enable cross-deployment across multiple fronts in times of war.
Realising the difficult environment along the LAC, where the area is cut off from supplies thus resulting in a severe tactical loss, the Modi government focussed on improving the roads leading to border regions of the country.
It may be noted that the BRO built the road to Lipulekh in 2019 and after this, the Indian Army benefited a lot as the route connected to the China border.
The China factor and infra push
The massive infra push in Uttarakhand region was necessary as the road connecting the India-China border is located in the Chamoli, Pithoragarh and Uttarkashi regions of Uttarakhand. These are the districts from where one can directly connect to China. This is the reason why the Modi government is constantly emphasizing these three main routes of Uttarakhand so that its hold on the China border can be strengthened. This boost will not only help the Indian army but will also enable a close watch on China.
Not just roads, India has also built the country’s highest airstrip in Ladakh, further strengthening its security system on the China border. This airfield is located in the Mudh-Nyoma area of eastern Ladakh and is very close to the Chinese border. The construction of this new airfield will allow the Indian Army to move faster on the border and will also strengthen India’s strategic position in the region. This airfield is located at an altitude of about 13,700 feet and has a three-kilometer-long runway. This airfield has been a priority for the Indian Army since the tension between India and China in the Galwan Valley four years ago.
Since this tension, India has paid special attention to the development of infrastructure in Ladakh. This airfield will be an important base for the Indian Army in any emergency.
