A day after damaged roads and bridges disrupted the Char Dham yatra, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat said on Friday that the yatra has been regulated, and not suspended.
On Friday, yatra to Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, Yamunotri, and Hemkund Sahib remained hindered as restoration of roads and bridges leading to the shrines was under way.
On Thursday, with rivers in spate following incessant rains, bridges leading to the Kedarnath shrine in Rudraprayag district and to Hemkund Sahib in Chamoli district were damaged.
Several patches of roads leading to the Badrinath and Gangotri shrines were blocked due to landslips. While the road leading to Gangotri was opened for small vehicles on Friday, the yatra to Badrinath remained halted.
An Uttarakhand Disaster Mitigation and Management Centre (DMMC) press release said 535 stranded pilgrims were airlifted from the Kedar Valley and 310 from Badrinath and Hemkund. Over 9,000 pilgrims, including 5,000 pilgrims on the Hemkund Sahib route and 3,000 at Badrinath, are still stranded, it stated.
“All the pilgrims stranded in Kedar Valley have been airlifted. Those who are stranded near Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib will be airlifted on Saturday,” Mr. Rawat said.
