Dharali-Harsil road connectivity to be restored within 3 days after cloudburst damage: BRO Chief

Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) [India], August 7 (ANI): Following a devastating cloudburst and heavy rainfall in Uttarakhand, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) on Thursday launched swift efforts to restore road and bridge connectivity to the affected areas of Dharali and Harsil.
BRO Director General Lt Gen Raghu Srinivasan said that four major landslide points and a damaged bridge are being tackled, with connectivity expected to be restored soon and bridge work likely to begin by tonight.
Speaking to ANI, Srinivasan said, "After the cloudburst and heavy rainfall following it, the distance from here to Dharali is approximately 96 km, and there are four major slide points throughout the route, and one bridge has been destroyed. For the past two days, BRO personnel and machinery have been deployed, and efforts are underway to restore the roads. We expect that connectivity will be restored in a few hours. Bridge stores have already been loaded, and our jawans are ready. As soon as the road connectivity is restored, they will rush to start the construction of the bridge by tonight... We hope to launch the bridge in a day."
"In the next three days, we will be able to open the road to Harsil and restore connectivity. The road connecting Harsil to Dharali is currently underwater. We can either restore the old road or carve out a fresh one; both options are open," he added.
Earlier in the day, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited a hospital in Uttarkashi to meet people affected by the recent natural disaster. During his visit, he inquired about their well-being and instructed doctors to ensure proper treatment for all victims.
The Uttarakhand government informed ANI that 274 individuals, stranded in Gangotri and other areas, have been safely evacuated to Harshil. The group comprises 131 people from Gujarat, 123 from Maharashtra, 21 from Madhya Pradesh, 12 from Uttar Pradesh, 6 from Rajasthan, seven from Delhi, five from Assam, five from Karnataka, three from Telangana, and one from Punjab. All are reported safe and are being transported to Uttarkashi or Dehradun.
Furthermore, according to the Uttarakhand Police, the people rescued under the Uttarkashi Disaster Relief Operation were brought from Harshil to Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun, on Thursday by Chinook helicopter. Medical check-ups are being conducted for all the evacuees at the airport.
Relief and rescue operations are continuing on a war footing, with the joint efforts from the Uttarakhand Police, SDRF, Army, ITBP and other relief agencies.
Earlier, CM Dhami visited the Matli Helipad in the Uttarkashi district, where he met individuals airlifted from the flood-affected Dharali village. (ANI)