The Centre has identified a large project for the improvement of infrastructure to make it easy to visit Kedarnath and to reduce the time taken to visit the shrine.
According to the Times of India, a plan to construct a 7km twin tube tunnel has also been made to directly connect Chaumasi, Kalimath Valley, near Guptkashi, with Sonprayag, the base camp of the proposed Kedarnath Ropeway to the Kedarnath Temple.
According to officials, the tunnel will not only be an alternative route but will also be used as an escape route in case of dangerous weather, which often poses a problem in the Himalayan range.
Moreover, the government has planned a feasibility study for a ped tunnel and walkway from the Chaumasi side for the further connectivity of devotees towards Kedarnath.
Presently, all vehicles heading towards Sonprayag and Gauri Kund are routed through National Highway 107, which is frequently congested during the Char Dham Yatra.
Under the new proposal, the existing single-lane road in the Kalimath Valley, maintained by the Government of Utteranchal, will be expanded to two lanes in order to satisfy the anticipated increase in traffic volume once the tunnel may be operational.
The Union Road Transport Ministry has carried out extensive consultations with the Uttarakhand government last week, considering the proposal in the wake of escalating footfall at the Kedarnath shrine.
Number of pilgrims and tourists was around 17.7 lakh last year and expected to be 25 lakh by 2030 and nearly 40 lakh by 2040.
On the basis of the lessons drawn from the Sylkyara tunnel disaster, the authorities will undertake geological and hydrological surveys before embarking on the construction process to avoid risks in the sensitive area.
The proposed tunnel project will complement the 12.9 km Sonprayag–Kedarnath ropeway, which has already been awarded to Adani Enterprises.
It is expected that the rope way will get operational by 2031–32 and will be able to carry up to 1,800 pilgrims in one hour.
The one-way journey to the shrine will only take 40 minutes once completed.