Dehradun:
Pilgrimage to the shrines of Kedarnath and Badrinath in Uttarakhand will not be able to resume for three years due to the extensive damage caused by heavy rains and floods in the last few days.
According to officials of the two shrines, the two pilgrimage towns have been so badly devastated that there was nothing "but mud, devastation and death" around the highly revered temples visited by millions.
The chances of reviving the pilgrimage "for the next few years" was grim, chief executive Officer of the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee BD Singh told IANS.
"What we are seeing is very painful and unbelievable. We don't expect the Char Dham Yatra to resume in the next three years," he said.