Kedarnath pilgrims to get weather updates on phone

Drawing lessons from 2013 calamity at Kedarnath which caught thousands of pilgrims offguard, the state government has completed the digital mapping of Rudraprayag district which will help pilgrims heading for the Himalayan shrine to get weather updates on their mobile phone.

"The Geographic Information System/digital mapping of Rudraprayag district in which the famous shrine is located has been done.

"Devotees going to the high-altitude temple can now get updates on the quickly changing weather and road conditions en route on their mobile phones and prepare themselves accordingly," Rudraprayag District Magistrate Raghav Langar said adding it is a major step towards the safety of pilgrims.

Chief Minister Harish Rawat had asked District Magistrates in calamity prone regions to do the digital mapping of their respective areas in a time bound manner a couple of months back.

Prepared in an elaborate way, the digital map application of the district considered highly vulnerable to natural calamities will help deal with any emergency, the DM said.

The magnitude of last year's natural calamity and the large scale loss of life and property it caused in Kedar valley is also attributed to its suddenness and to the fact that pilgrims did not have a clear idea of the terrain, weather and road conditions in the area.

The digital map application of the district which includes vital information on roads, alternative pedestrian roads, government infrastructural facilities, revenue checkposts and important phone numbers in the area will be formally launched at the District Magistrate's office tomorrow, he said.

Meanwhile, a Shri Kedar rescue demo android application will also be launched at the DM office tomorrow which can be used by pilgrims, tourists and locals alike on their mobile phone.

It will tell users about different landmarks close to the shrine, Langar said.