Dehradun: Uttarakhand is reeling under heavy rainfall, following a cloudburst in Uttarkashi. The state is gripped by chaos and the administration has decided to suspend the Char Dham Yatra for 24 hours. The rains have also triggered several landslides in the region and have left people missing.
State government suspends Char Dham Yatra
Following the cloudburst, the state government suspended the Char Dham Yatra on Sunday. The government gave a heavy rain alert and also warned of continued weather related risks as reasons for suspending the yatra.
The heavy rains also led to blocking of roads along the Badrinath and Yamunotri highways, which led to tourists being stranded. Emergency teams have ben dispatched to rescue the stranded people.
The Garhwal Division Commissioner, Vinay Shankar Pandey was quoted by Times of India as saying, “I have given instructions to the police and administration officials to stop the pilgrims in Haridwar, Rishikesh, Srinagar, Rudraprayag, Sonprayag and Vikasnagar.”
Workers missing after cloudburst
The cloudburst hit Silai Band on the Barkot–Yamunotri road, triggering flash floods in the region. The rainfall caused severe damage to an under construction hotel site at Baligarh. THere were at least 8 to 9 labourers staying and working at this site. All of them are reported to be missing.
The Uttarakhand Police confirmed the incident. They took to social media platform, ‘X’ to give information about the 9 missing labourers. They also said that at least 10 people have ben rescued from the deluge hit region so far. The police also said that the Yamunotri route had suffered considerable damage due to the cloudburst.
Rescue operation
Search and rescue operations were launched immediately after the cloudburst. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have both been mobilised to look for the missing workers. The police department is also helping in the search.
The government is closely monitoring the situation. The Uttarakhand CM, PushkarSingh Dhami has asked people to remain cautious and avoid unnecessary travel.
