Around 130 people from Anantapur district, currently on the Char Dham pilgrimage, were stranded in an ashram at Badrinath, owing to incessant rains and floods in the hilly terrain for last few days. Some pilgrims from Karnataka were also stuck at Badrinath.
The pilgrims hail from Hindupur and Madakasira mandals in Anantapur district. According to Anantapur district Collector Kona Sasidhar, the district administration was coordinating with officials in Hyderabad and Andhra Pradesh Bhavan in New Delhi to bring back the stranded pilgrims to safety. Tirumala Travels in Anantapur was the tour operator.
The district administration came to know about the stranded pilgrims after team leader Sapthagiri Satham alerted them. The pilgrims were facing problems due to non-availability of food and even the local authorities in Badrinath were unable to make proper arrangements owing to incessant rains for the last four days, coupled with bad road conditions that cut off connectivity.
The Resident Commissioner’s Office at A.P. Bhavan confirmed that the stranded pilgrims were safe and efforts were on to bring them to New Delhi and then make arrangement for their travel to Anantapur.
A.P. Bhavan Additional Commissioner Arja Srikanth and A.P. Information Centre, New Delhi, Assistant Director M.V. Rangaiah, were coordinating the travel arrangements. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu directed the Resident Commissioner to ensure the safety of the pilgrims.
Incessant rains, bad roads in the hilly terrain making things difficult; A.P. Bhavan officials making arrangements to bring the pilgrims to safety
