Monday, 27 June 2022 | PNS | Joshimath
The movement of traffic on the national highway to Badrinath was restored on Sunday afternoon after debris were cleared from the road near Birhi. The debris had landed on the national highway due to heavy rain. The national highway being blocked to traffic had resulted in long queues of vehicles of both visitors and local residents in both the directions.
The National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) started the work of clearing the debris at about 7 AM. The work continued till about 2 PM when this highway was reopened for traffic. The pilgrims and locals breathed a sigh of relief when the highway was reopened for traffic after a period of about eight hours. Earlier, while the national highway was blocked, the vehicles coming from Badrinath were halted at Peepalkoti while the vehicles plying towards Badrinath were stopped at Chamoli.
It is pertinent to mention here that even before the onset of monsoon, incidents of landslides blocking roads have been witnessed in various parts of the State following spells of rain. It remains to be seen whether the onset of the monsoon exacerbates the situation.
