- Char Dham Yatra suspended for two days due to landslides and heavy rainfall alerts
- Kedarnath Highway blocked by debris at Munkatiya; clearing operations underway
- Yatra Control Room monitors situation, issues instructions for safety coordination
The Char Dham Yatra has been suspended for Tuesday and Wednesday in view of passenger safety, as pilgrimage routes have been blocked at several places due to landslides and a heavy rainfall alert.
The Garhwal Divisional Commissioner said the yatra will resume once weather conditions improve and the routes are cleared and declared safe for pilgrims.
The Kedarnath Highway has been blocked in the Munkatiya area after debris and rocks fell from a hillside following continuous rainfall. Road-clearing operations are underway on a war footing, with heavy machinery being used to remove the debris. The district administration is taking all necessary measures to ensure the safe movement of pilgrims.
The Yatra Control Room is closely monitoring the entire situation in real time. Regular announcements are being made to issue necessary instructions to sector officers, police personnel, and other security forces to ensure smooth coordination and the safety of travellers.
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Nandan Singh Rajwar, District Disaster Management Officer (DDMO), Rudraprayag, said, "The road travel route is likely to be obstructed at many places, and even now the road was blocked in Munkatiya, which was opened immediately, but a danger has been created there. There is a constant fear of falling rocks, due to which, in view of safety, people are being made to cross the road, regarding which the concerned sector officer and rescue teams are continuously monitoring the entire route, and people are also being asked to stop at safe places."
He added, "The Yatra Control Room is also continuously monitoring the weather warnings and the shopkeepers on the Kedarnath Yatra route, and the pilgrims who are already present there are also being cautioned through announcements, and continuous monitoring is being done from here."
Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Pramendra Dobhal said, "Dehradun Police has been placed on high alert in view of the continuous heavy rainfall across Dehradun and the hill districts."
He added that he is personally monitoring the situation to ensure a swift response to any emergency.
"Police teams have been deployed across all police station jurisdictions and are carrying out continuous patrols at vulnerable and sensitive locations. Since last night, personnel have been patrolling riverbanks, streams, and other flood-prone areas, using loudhailers to alert residents and advise them to stay away from rivers and seasonal streams due to the rising water levels. People living in vulnerable areas along riverbanks are also being shifted to safer locations as a precautionary measure," Dobhal added.
"Additionally, following the release of water from the Srinagar Dam, which has led to a rise in the water level of the Ganga in the Rishikesh area, police teams are continuously patrolling the Ganga ghats, warning people against venturing near the river and urging them to follow safety advisories," he said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
