PIONEER NEWS SERVICE | Uttarkashi
The national highway to Gangotri was blocked due to an avalanche on Saturday afternoon. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is working to clear the snow and reopen the road. Routine life was also disrupted in some other high altitude regions of Uttarkashi district due to heavy snowfall on Friday-Saturday while cloudy conditions coupled with the snowfall and rain in some places has brought the temperatures down noticeably.
According to information received from the BRO, an avalanche was reported near Jangthang on the Gangotri national highway at 12 PM on Saturday. Efforts were underway to clear the snow and reopen the highway by the night of the same day. Meanwhile, the BRO and the district administration undertook measures to assist people who suffered from disruption in the movement on the highway due to the snowfall and avalanche.
The authorities have appealed to the people to avoid travelling unnecessarily till the weather fully clears. According to sources, heavy snowfall has disrupted the power supply at Mukhwa and Tharali. The departmental personnel sprung into action and were able to restore the electricity supply till Harshil. With efforts continuing, the electricity supply to Mukhwa and Tharali is expected to be restored by Sunday morning, officials said.
Meanwhile, with the State Meteorological Centre issuing a yellow warning regarding the possibility of heavy snowfall at isolated places in Uttarkashi too on Sunday and with light to moderate snowfall likely in high altitude regions of the district during the next few days, the administration has advised the locals and travellers to remain alert and observe basic precautions. The locals and visitors have been appealed to travel after considering the weather condition, forecast and the status of the roads.
