Uttarakhand: Char Dham Yatra suspended for 24 hours amid heavy rain alert

Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], June 29 (ANI): The Char Dham Yatra has been suspended for the next 24 hours following a heavy rain alert, officials said on Sunday.
While speaking to ANI, Garhwal Division Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey said that the pilgrimage had been halted temporarily as a precautionary measure. "I have given instructions to the police and administration officials to stop the pilgrims in Haridwar, Rishikesh, Srinagar, Rudraprayag, Sonprayag and Vikasnagar," Pandey told.
The suspension followed a cloudburst that hit Silai Band on the Barkot-Yamunotri road in Uttarkashi district, leaving as many as nine workers missing at an under-construction hotel site.
Meanwhile, Uttarkashi District Magistrate Prashant Arya confirmed that the cloudburst in Baligarh, along the Barkot-Yamunotri Marg, caused severe damage to the hotel construction site. "Eight-nine workers staying at this under-construction hotel site are missing," Arya stated, adding that the Yamunotri route has also been severely impacted.
Rescue teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and the Police were immediately dispatched to the site, and search and rescue operations were underway.
Vinod Kumar Suman, Secretary of Disaster Management for Uttarakhand, also confirmed the incident and said the government was closely monitoring the situation. Suman added that necessary instructions had been passed to ensure the safety of pilgrims and residents in the region.
Continuous rainfall on Saturday caused severe disruptions across Uttarakhand, including blockage of the National Highway near Nandprayag and Bhanerpani.
In a post on the social media platform X, Chamoli Police Uttarakhand stated, "The Badrinath National Highway is blocked near Nandprayag and Bhanerpani. Work is underway to open the road."
The National Highway near Nandprayag is a critical route for pilgrims travelling to Kedarnath, making the clearance of the road a priority.
Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has appealed to the public to remain cautious and avoid unnecessary travel on Saturday, due to the forecasted heavy rainfall in the state's hilly and some plain areas over the next 24 hours. (ANI)