(HT)
The 24-hour ban on the Char Dham Yatra was lifted on Monday, officials said, a day after it was suspended due to heavy rain and a cloudburst that triggered a deadly landslide near Barkot in Uttarakhand.
Garhwal Divisional Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey confirmed the development. “The 24-hour ban on Char Dham Yatra has been lifted,” he told ANI news agency. He added that District Magistrates along the yatra route have been asked to stop vehicles depending on the weather situation in their respective areas.
The pilgrimage was halted on Sunday after the India Meteorological Department issued a heavy rain alert. A cloudburst followed soon after, causing a landslide near Silai Band on the Barkot-Yamunotri road in Uttarkashi district. Two workers died and seven others are still missing, officials said.
Repair work on the affected road was completed on Saturday. “The washout that happened due to a cloudburst before Silai Band on the Barkot-Yamunotri road of the district has been repaired and the road has been made smooth, while the work of making the other washout smooth is going on,” said Uttarkashi District Magistrate Prashant Arya.
He also said the 33 KV power line has been restored, while efforts are on to fix the 11 KV line. Teams from the NDRF, SDRF, police and revenue departments are still searching for the seven missing workers.
Uttarkashi police said the cloudburst and landslide occurred about four kilometres ahead of Paligad on the Yamunotri National Highway.
The two deceased have been identified as 43-year-old Kewal Bisht from Rajapur district in Nepal and 55-year-old Duje Lal from Uttar Pradesh’ Pilibhit.
Char Dham Yatra halted amid heavy rain alert and deadly cloudburst
The IMD has issued a red alert for heavy rainfall in several districts of Uttarakhand, including Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Dehradun, Tehri, Pauri, Haridwar, and Nainital for June 29 and 30. In light of the alert, authorities suspended the Char Dham Yatra for a day to ensure the safety of pilgrims.
A cloudburst in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district early Sunday killed two construction workers and left seven others missing, as the monsoon spread across the country nearly a week ahead of schedule. The rains triggered landslides in multiple hilly regions, raised river levels, and brought showers to Delhi and other northern states.
