Monday, 03 July 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The Yatra halted thrice in last four days due to heavy rains
The Badrinath National Highway (NH-7) remained closed for nearly 13 hours near the Lambagad and Khachada drains of the Chamoli district due to incessant rainfall in the Chamoli district. The authorities restricted the movement of vehicles late on Saturday night due to the rise in water level in the drains and boulders on the route, as per the police. Hundreds of commuters including pilgrims and tourists travelling to and returning from the Badrinath shrine remained stuck till the traffic movement was resumed on the route around 11 AM on Sunday.
The police said that the teams from the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) started working to open the highway immediately after getting the news of it being blocked due to rising water levels and debris on the route. Police also made necessary arrangements like food and stay for people stranded near the route on Saturday night, as per the police. They said that all pilgrims were sent to their respective destinations after the vehicular movement was resumed on Sunday around 11 AM. This is the third time in four days when authorities had to shut down the movement on the route due to heavy rain.
Earlier on Thursday, heavy rains triggered landslides at the same place that blocked the Badrinath NH. A stretch of 100 metres of the highway was blocked due to a heavy landslide from a hill near Chhinka on Thursday morning. The route was opened on Friday morning but it had to be reportedly shut down again in the evening for a few hours after the administration received complaints of boulders falling off the hill. Later on Saturday, vehicle movement on the highway had to be restricted again due to a rise in the water level in the Khachda drain near Lambagad. The police have appealed to all pilgrims to move ahead in their pilgrimage considering the monsoon. They advised them to not continue their journey in extreme weather conditions and contact the local authorities if they get stuck in any difficulty.
