Huge rock that saved Kedarnath temple will be preserved, it's worth worshipping, Uttarakhand CM Vijay Bahuguna tells Aap Ki Adalat

New Delhi, Aug 3: The huge rock that stopped the Bhagirathi flood from devastating the famous Kedarnath temple will be preserved as it is worth worshipping, Uttarakhand chief minister Vijay Bahuguna has said.He was replying to questions in Rajat Sharma's show Aap Ki Adalat on India TV."Woh chattaan, woh daivi shakti jisne Kedarnath mandir ko bachaya, mandir ke paas us shila ko sarkar sambhaal kar rakhegi. Woh shila khud hi poojaniya hai" (That rock, that divine power which saved Kedarnath temple, will be preserved, as that rock is worth worshipping), Bahuguna said.The chief minister said, no construction will now be allowed on river banks in Kedarnath and other shrines."We have chalked out a major reconstruction plan, which if implemented, will protect the Kedarnath and other shrines for the next 100, 200 or even 300 years", said Bahuguna. The chief minister said, he met the Prime Minister in Delhi on Wednesday, in which he called for an Advanced Warning System for the entire Himalayan region to face earthquakes, cloudbursts and landslides. "We will discuss with Geological Survey of India, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology and IIT Roorkee about our reconstruction and rehabilitation plans. Nearly 300 villages will have to be relocated as the rivers have changed directions, and this will require Rs 8,000 crore."From now on, we will start registration of pilgrims going to Kedarnath and Badrinath in order to regulate pilgrimage. There shall be separate roads for entry and exit, cable cars will be installed, and we are planning to construct as many as 100 helipads, which are helpful in times of calamities", said Bahuguna. The chief minister said, so far nearly 4,500 people have been reported missing since the June 16 calamity. "We have asked chief secretaries of all states to send us lists of pilgrims reported missing from their states. We had set a one month deadline from the date of calamity (June 16) for tracing missing persons, which has now passed. "Now, I can say that there are no chances of any more survivors. We will collate the lists of missing persons received from states with our own list based on FIRs filed in Uttarakhand and then arrive at a correct figure of those presumed to be dead", said Bahuguna. On granting of compensation, the chief minister said, a total of Rs 5 lakh each will be given to the next of kin of those who are from Uttarakhand, which includes Rs 2 lakh from PM National Relief Fund, Rs 1.5 lakh from the Centre and Rs 1.5 lakh from Uttarakhand government. "I have already started distributing cheques", he said. "For the kin of those who are from states outside Uttarakhand, the compensation money with be Rs 3.5 lakhs plus whatever assistance their respective state governments wish to give", he said.The chief minister said, all cheques for compensation will be sent to the chief secretaries of respective states, who will pass them on to the local district collector to be handed over to the next of kin.Bahuguna appealed to the kin of all those missing and presumed dead, to file details with their respective collectors and chief secretaries, so that they could forward them to the Uttarakhand government for compensation.The chief minister said, the Finance Ministry has assured that the LIC and other insurance companies will consider the letter issued with the cheques as proof of presumed death, which can be used by the next of kin for all purposes. "For succession certificates, the process is a bit tedious", he added. A large number of next of kin of Uttarakhand victims, present at the Aap Ki Adalat show, narrated the ordeals that they were going through, and Bahuguna promised them to take care of their concerns. He took down details of people missing from the grieving relatives.The chief minister gave his personal cellphone number 7500800038, and appealed to all the kin of Uttarakhand victims to contact him via SMS or calls, to give details about their missing relatives. Bahuguna cautioned people not to be taken in by unscrupulous people who ring up the next of kin to claim that they have seen their missing relatives in Uttarkhand. "If you get such calls, please forward their details to me immediately."Bahuguna feared more bodies might still be trapped under the huge amount of slush that has covered Kedarnath town. The entire slush has congealed into rock, he said, and because of continuous rains, the restoration work is being hampered. He said, DNA samples and personal articles like watches, earrings, etc. have been preserved for all bodies that have been cremated so far. "We will post them on the Uttarakhand website, so that the relatives can identify them and come forward to claim. The close relatives will have to give their blood samples for DNA matching", he said.Aap Ki Adalat with Vijay Bahuguna will be telecast on India TV on Saturday August 3 at 10 pm, and on Sunday August 4 at 10 am and 10 pm.