Dehradun. The Chardham Yatra has once again been affected due to the continuous torrential rains in Uttarakhand. The Yamunotri highway has been closed at many places due to heavy rains overnight in the Yamunotri valley. The lower floors of many hotels have been submerged due to the rapid rise in the water level of the lake built on the Yamuna river at Syana Chatti. Along with this, the motor bridge built on the Yamunotri highway has also come under threat.
The people of Syana Chatti area spent the whole night awake. Local resident Jaipal Singh Rawat said that the water of the Yamuna river reached his first floor, causing a loss of lakhs of rupees. People say that if the administration still does not take warning and safety measures, then the possibility of the bridge collapsing cannot be ruled out.
The road has completely collapsed at many places on the Yamunotri Highway, due to which Yamunotri Dham and about one and a half dozen villages around have lost contact with the tehsil headquarters. At the same time, the Gangotri Highway has also been closed in Sanglai and Helgugad area, where the passengers are stranded since morning.
On the other hand, the situation regarding Kedarnath Yatra has become serious in Rudraprayag district as well. Due to heavy landslides in the sliding zone near Munkatiya, the administration has temporarily stopped the Shri Kedarnath Yatra as a precaution. The route was completely blocked due to debris and rocks, due to which many pilgrims returning from Gaurikund were stranded.
However, a major accident was averted due to the promptness of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF). More than 40 devotees stranded since around 10 pm were safely evacuated by the SDRF and taken to Sonprayag.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that the safety of the pilgrims is the top priority. The journey will be carried forward as per the weather conditions. He said that officials of all districts, NDRF, SDRF and disaster management teams are on alert and are fully prepared to deal with every situation.
However, local people allege that this situation is the result of administrative apathy and negligence. Social activists Praveen Rana and Chitramohan Singh questioned the administration’s preparations and said that if arrangements were made in time, the damage could have been prevented.
The rainy season in the state has not stopped yet and the Meteorological Department has issued a warning of heavy rain in the future as well. In such a situation, travelers have been advised to be cautious and follow the instructions issued by the administration.
