PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ New Tehri
The Rishikesh-Chamba national highway has been damaged at various sites due to landslides and flooding caused by heavy rain. The damage to the highway on Tuesday blocked access to Gangotri from this route.
According to sources, a 40-metre stretch of the highway was washed out near Bhinnu which debris blocked the road at Nagni, Amsera, Bagaddhar and Plasada. Border Roads Organisation (BRO) teams reached the sites and started work on clearing the debris. However, the debris could not be cleared due to the large quantity till the time of this report being filed late in the evening. According to a BRO official, heavy boulders have landed on the road at Bagaddhar with work underway to remove these.
At Bhinnu where a stretch of the highway was washed out, the BRO is working on a diversion to create an alternative route to restore traffic. The traffic on this route is expected to resume by Wednesday.
