Dehradun:
In the aftermath of the widespread devastation in the Kedarnath axis in Uttarakhand, where hundreds are feared dead, 200 additional people will be deployed by the state government tomorrow to help with mass funerals there. The Kedarnath temple complex is completely cut off and the only way to reach the temple area is by choppers.
As the state is still trying the assess the exact extent of damage, Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna told NDTV that it may consider a way to regulate and restrict the number of pilgrims in the Chardham yatra on the lines of the Amarnath and Mansarovar yatras.
"What we will have to decide is that once these routes are made, because from Gaurikund to Kedarnath road, it has all been shattered badly... It is virtually a collapse of a mountain, it will take some time but now certainly how many people should spend the night in Kedarnath, we will have to control the streamline of tourists to Kedarnath because of the very difficult terrain of the high altitude and it is not a motor-able road," he said.
But he was quick to add that the restriction should not come at the cost of the livelihood of the locals, who depend heavily on the Chardham yatra as their source of earning.
"We have to sit and take a very holistic view of the environment, of the concerns of the forest and also the safety of my people and of course in the background of all this is that there should not be economic depression," Mr Bahuguna said.
And it's this balancing act between economic considerations and regulation of pilgrims that will be a tall order indeed.
In the current system, there is no registration at Kedarnath that can give the administration an idea of the number of pilgrims visiting the shrine at any given point during peak season here.
The last mile journey to the temple is a 14-kilometre-long trek from Gaurikund.
It could be months before the shrine is restored to its original condition, and much longer for the yatra to begin once again. But till then, the government feels, this tragedy would have already cost the state much more than lives and livelihoods.