Of the around 2,000 pilgrims on the Char Dham yatra in Uttarakhand, who were stranded after a landslip in Chamoli district, 800 have resumed their onward journey and work is on to clear the debris, officials said on Saturday.
The Rishikesh-Badrinath National Highway was closed near Vishnuprayag, one of the five important points of the Alaknanda river, between Joshimath and the hill shrine of Badrinath.
Huge boulders had rolled down the Hathi Pahar mountain on Friday afternoon, blocking the highway.
CM’s directive
Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has directed the Secretary of the Disaster Management Department, Amit Negi, to monitor the situation.
‘Arrangements in place’
“There were no unfortunate incidents, 1,800 tourists were affected and arrangements were made for them. The Border Roads Organisation and other authorities are working on clearing the debris and the route will be opened today; all the suitable arrangements are in place,” Mr. Rawat tweeted.
He said, “Information of landslides was shared with various towns along the route.”
Chamoli District Magistrate Ashish Joshi dismissed reports that around 15,000 people were stranded. “Only 2,000 people have been affected,” he said.
