Rishikesh-Badrinath highway and Rudraprayag-Kedarnath highway remain blocked 12 days ahead of the Char Dham Yatra. Incessant rainfall and snowfall have resulted in fresh landslips, aggravating the already abysmal condition of the Char Dham Yatra routes.
Piyoosh Rautela, Executive Director, Uttarakhand Disaster Mitigation Centre, said on Saturday, “the Rishikesh-Badrinath highway [which leads to the Badrinath shrine] and the Rudraprayag-Kedarnath highway [which leads to the Kedarnath shrine] are blocked.”
While the State Disaster Mitigation Centre and the State Meteorological Department are conveying facts considering safety of the pilgrims, who would take the Yatra, the State Tourism Department is restraining from divulging the true picture.
Umakant Panwar, State Tourism Secretary, told The Hindu , “The status [of the Char Dham yatra routes] is alright. The routes are open and the Yatra will run on schedule.” On bookings for the Yatra, Mr. Pawar said the bookings were low.
