CHANDIGARH: An Uttarakhand-based Sikh trust has appealed state government to allot an alternative land to set up a base camp at Gobindghat for Sikh pilgrims en-route to Hemkunt Sahib.

The members of Shri Hemkunt Sahib Management Trust (SHSMT) met Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna and urged to allot land at the earliest. The Trust has requested the land after Uttarakhand government imposed ban on any kind of construction on banks of river in the state.

Vice chairman of Hemkunt Trust Narinderjit Bindra while talking to PTI on phone said, “We have asked the Chief Minister that to restart the Yatra we have to rebuild the ‘langar’ hall (community kitchen), store to keep ration for at least two months, sarai (inn) for the convenience of pilgrims, parking space for their vehicles and other places which were washed away by the floods.”

Bindra stressed the need for an alternative land for base camp, keeping the change of course of river Alakananda and restrictions imposed by government.

Bindra said that about seven kilometres of trek route from Gobind Ghat to Gobind Dham in village Pulna and Bhyunder had been completely destroyed and they were forced to adopt other routes in jungles.

Bahuguna, meanwhile, has assured the Hemkunt Trust that alternative land would be allotted and necessary action will be taken after a team of Geological Survey of India visits and surveys the area of Gobind Ghat, Gobind Dham and Hemkunt Sahib and submit report.