With improved condition after the Uttarakhand flash floods, the Chardham Yatra resumed on Monday. However, the Yamunotri route remains disrupted after a deadly landslide. Rescue teams continue searching for seven missing workers. Road restoration is underway, and authorities urge pilgrims to stay alert and follow safety advisories during travel.
Road blocked by debris in Uttarakhand. Pic/PTI
With the concerning weather situation in Uttarakhand, the Chardham Yatra has been resumed on Monday. With rains easing at most places in Uttarakhand, the situation now seems to be calm for the tourists. Although authorities have urged pilgrims and devotees to be cautious during their journey, various arrangements have been made.
While rescuers were still searching for seven construction workers – who went missing following a landslide and cloudburst on the Yamunotri highway – for the second consecutive day, the Kedarnath Yatra resumed as normal.
As per PTI, the NDRF, SDRF, ITBP and the district administration teams are scouring along the Yamuna river and through the landslide debris in search of the missing labourers, Uttarkashi District Magistrate Prashant Arya said.
Earlier during the Uttarakhand flash floods, nine labourers engaged in the construction of a hotel went missing. The landslide caused by a cloudburst demolished the camps early on Sunday. Unfortunately, the bodies of two labourers were retrieved on Sunday, creating a panic situation in Uttarakhand.
In view of the situation, the district magistrate also visited the spot with Superintendent of Police Sarita Dobhal. Both the top officials directed the joint search and rescue teams to act with coordination and speed up their efforts.
"No stone will be left unturned in the search for the missing persons under any circumstances, and all possible help will be provided to the affected families," Arya said.
The Chardham yatra, which was suspended for a day for the safety of pilgrims shortly after the incident in view of the MeT department's warning of heavy rain for two days in various districts, was resumed on Monday, as per PTI.
However, the pilgrimage to Yamunotri remained disrupted, with the highway to the Himalayan temple breached at several points. The district magistrate said with normal rainfall on Monday, the road restoration work along Yamunotri has gathered pace. The highway was washed out at three places in the wake of the cloudburst on Sunday morning.
The district magistrate said, “Road restoration work is being carried out on a war footing."
"Our effort is to restore the route by Tuesday. Road restoration work will continue with the help of emergency lights through Monday night," he further said.
Authorities have further appealed to the pilgrims to keep a watch on the weather conditions and follow the safety guidelines issued by the district administration.
(With PTI Inputs)
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