Tuesday 19th October, 2021 | PNS | Joshimath
To add to the woes of the pilgrims stranded after the ban imposed on the Char Dham Yatra due to inclement weather conditions prevailing in the state snowfall occurred in the high reaches of Chamoli, Rudraprayag and Uttarkashi districts including Badrinath shrine on Monday. In view of the warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall by the meteorology department, the Yatris headed for Badrinath have been asked to stop at Joshimath and Pandukeshwar. Most of the pilgrims are staying at Joshimath as the Pandukeshwar has limited capacity of boarding and lodging. The Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Kumkum Joshi said that 2500 tourists are staying at Badrinath and all of them are safe. She said that the rains have caused the mercury to plummet but the administration has made adequate arrangements. The SDM added that all the hotel owners and administrators of Dharamshalas have been asked to provide woollen beddings to the pilgrims.
On Monday snowfall started in the mountain ranges surrounding Badrinath. The Nar Narayan, Neelkanth and other summits have been covered with a blanket of snow.
