Lagatar24 Desk
Dehradun, Oct.18: Uttarakhand is drenched for the second day in a row on Monday, prompting authorities to advise Chardham pilgrims not to visit the Himalayan temples until the weather improves.
Mayur Dikshit, the District Magistrate of Uttarkashi, said that the pilgrims travelling to Yamunotri should remain at Badkot and Jankichatti, while those travelling to Gangotri should stay in Harsil, Bhatwari, and Maneri.
Pilgrims heading to Kedarnath and Badrinath have also been advised to postpone their journeys until the weather improves. According to Chamoli district disaster management official N K Joshi, the majority of pilgrims on their route to Badrinath are lodging in Joshimath and Chamoli.
As a precaution, 4,000 yatris on their way to Kedarnath have been halted at Linchauli and Bhimbali, according to Rudraprayag disaster management official N S Singh.
The yatra has been temporarily paused for the safety of pilgrims, according to the Chardham Devasthanam Board, due to a heavy rain alert issued by the Uttarakhand meteorological department for October 17-19.
Light snowfall fell on the heights beyond Badrinath and Kedarnath, while incessant showers pounded the lower portions of Chamoli district. Rain continued to fall in Uttarkashi and Dehradun.
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah met with Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami over the phone to receive an update on the state government’s precautionary measures in light of the heavy rain alert and assured him of all possible assistance.
Dhami has requested that the district administrations submit hourly weather and road status information. In the event of a disaster, he also requested that they maintain a minimum reaction time.
As a precaution, most educational institutions in Uttarakhand stayed closed on Monday, while trekking, mountaineering, and camping activities in the state’s high altitude areas, including the Nanda Devi biosphere reserve and several forest divisions, were prohibited till Tuesday.
The district-level Khel Mahakumbh activities scheduled for October 18-19 at Dehradun’s parade and pavilion grounds have been cancelled. They’ve been rescheduled for the 24th and 25th of October.
The MeT department has forecasted heavy to very heavy rainfall, lightning, hail storms, and high-speed winds (60-70 kmph) for all 13 districts of Uttarakhand between October 17 and 19.
