The State administration will initiate a comprehensive and integrated waste management plan for Kedarnath Dham after a directive from chief secretary Anand Bardhan to the Rudraprayag district magistrate. The chief secretary chaired a review at the State secretariat on Kedarnath reconstruction and Badrinath master plan works. The waste plan was linked to broader pilgrimage infrastructure upgrades.

The plan for the Kedarnath Dham yatra area will cover collection, segregation, treatment and disposal of all waste generated during the pilgrimage. The chief secretary ordered the scheme to include logistical, technical and financial arrangements and to be scalable for peak pilgrim flows. He said State financial and technical support will be provided.

He sought detailed reports on physical and financial progress of reconstruction works and asked for expected timeframes. The administration was directed to begin work on six blocks within the Kedarnath reconstruction plan without delay and to place each project under continuous monitoring. Officials were instructed to submit periodic progress updates.

He reviewed progress on the Badrinath master plan in phase one and phase two and called for acceleration to meet deadlines. All content, interpretation materials and artwork were to be commissioned simultaneously to avoid finishing-stage delays. Agency coordination was emphasised to ensure a single delivery schedule.

The district magistrates of Chamoli and Rudraprayag were asked to develop an operation and maintenance framework for assets at Kedarnath and Badrinath Dhams. Prior selection of maintenance companies was recommended to fix responsibilities after handover.

Kedarnath has emerged as the most visited of the Char Dham, with more than 1.7 million (mn) registered pilgrims so far and the majority having visited Kedarnath up to July seven. The visitation scale was cited as a reason to prioritise a comprehensive waste management response.