The Kedarnath Yatra in Uttarakhand has been temporarily halted for three days due to a red alert issued by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) predicting heavy rainfall in the region.
According to Met Department, heavy rain likely to occur at isolated places in Bageshwar, Dehradun, Tehri, Pauri, Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Nainital, Udham Singh Nagar and Champawat districts of Uttarakhand.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday directed all the District Magistrates to remain on the ground zero with their entire team, given the continuous rain in the state. He gave the instructions during a virtual meeting held from his official residence here.
Uttarakhand Secretary of Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Vinod Kumar Suman on Thursday stated that the state is experiencing no major losses due to heavy rainfall, with district officials on high alert and necessary precautions in place.
Chamoli Police lauded a Home Guard personnel for taking charge and removing boulders from the Gopeshwar-Ghingran road on Thursday following heavy rainfall in Chamoli.
Heavy rainfall in Rudraprayag and adjacent areas of Uttarakhand has increased the water flow in the Alaknanda River.
However, even after the heavy rainfall and increased water flow, the river is still flowing below the danger mark.
This morning, the SDRF Dakpatthar team received information that some workers were stranded in the river near Badhwala Sadhna Kendra Ashram. On receiving the information, the SDRF team immediately left for the site of the incident and rescued the trapped workers.
Earlier in the day, the Yamunotri National Highway was blocked at two places between Silai Band and Ojri due to parts of the road being washed out, according to officials.
Speaking to ANI, Uttarkashi District Magistrate Prashant Arya said, "Due to a cloud burst in Silai Band on the Barkot-Yamunotri Marg of Uttarkashi district, a hotel under construction has suffered heavy damage. Eighty-nine workers staying at this under-construction hotel site are missing.
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, Rudrapray
Kedarnath Dham Yatra pilgrims were stopped at Sonprayag and Gaurikund for safety reasons, and when the debris was cleared, the movement of pilgrims was allowed again, Rudraprayag Police said in a statement. The opening and closing of the road is being controlled, and the movement of passe