Uttarakhand: Heavy Rains Wash Away Part Of Badrinath Highway, Pilgrimage Stopped

It would take two-three days for the washed away stretch of the Badrinath Highway to be restored and the pilgrimage would be disrupted till then, as per a government statement.

Outlook Web Desk

Updated on: 24 July 2023 9:16 am

Heavy machinery being used to clear Rishikesh-Badrinath National Highway blocked with boulders after a rain-triggered landslide, in Rudraprayag district, Monday, July 24, 2023.

The Badrinath pilgrimage was on Monday disrupted after a 100-metre stretch of the Gauchar-Badrinath highway in Uttarakhand was washed away after heavy rains.?

The Badrinath shrine in Chamoli district is a key Hindu pilgrimage site. It is also part of the Char Dham Yatra (Pilgrimage of Four Holy Sites) which also comprises shrines of Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri.?

Visuals of the site show debris on the road from rain-induced landslide. An official said that it would take two-three days for the stretch to be restored.?

VIDEO | Heavy rainfall in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district washes away a portion of Badrinath National Highway. pic.twitter.com/uxx5PANY95
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 24, 2023

Chamoli District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana told ANI, "A large portion of the Badrinath-Shri Hemkund National Highway is damaged in Kameda, Gauchar in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. It will take 2-3 days for the restoration of the road."

A part of a road also caved in at Bhattnagar near Gauchar and five vehicles parked along the roadside got buried in the debris, the state emergency operation centre said, as per PTI. The statement added that the rubble is being cleared and no one was hurt in the incident.

Earlier, the Yamunotri national highway has been blocked at many places between Barkot and Gangnani due to the landslides, reported PTI, adding that efforts are being made to reopen the road for traffic.

Uttarakhand | The Yamunotri Highway has come to a standstill at many places including Chhatanga, due to which passengers and local people are stranded on the route: Uttarkashi district administration pic.twitter.com/kldUF9XYIJ
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) July 22, 2023

Earlier on Saturday, a few cottages of a tourist resort were damaged due to landslide debris in Gangnani in Uttarkashi's Barkot tehsil, reported PTI, adding that the debris also entered the premises of Kasturba Gandhi Girls Residential School in Gangnani. However, all the students are safe, said officials to PTI.?

Cloudbursts and landslides also occurred in Chhara Khad in Purola, reported PTI, adding that several vehicles parked on roads were buried under the debris.?

A landslide also occurred near Dhauntri village, reported PTI, adding that the power supply in the region was disrupted due to the rains