Uttarakhand: Landslide in Pauri triggered by heavy rain disrupts Kedarnath Yatra

A massive landslide near Sirobagad in Pauri that was triggered by the heavy spell of rains resulted in traffic blockage disrupting the Badrinath and Kedarnath Yatra. The traffic blockage caused severe inconvenience to the pilgrims.

The PWD department deployed JCB machines to clear the debris from the Sirobagad road but found it difficult to open the road which remained closed for traffic the whole day.

Due to safety concerns, the police had to stop vehicular movement and divert the traffic so that the pilgrims could reach their destination.

Prem Lal Tamta, circle officer Pauri said, “With no vehicular movement possible at Sirobagad due to landslide, the vehicles are being diverted to an alternative route from Pauri Chungi at Srinagar via Bugani, Khirsu, Khedakhal, Khankra to Rudraprayag”.

The pilgrims and local commuters had to undergo a harrowing experience due to the landslide.

Mittham Chauhan, a resident of Chakrata in Dehradun district said,” I was on my way to Badrinath in a bus but due to the landslide at Sirobagad, I had to curtail the journey and stay overnight at Srinagar”.

The heavy rains also led to boulders falling on the various Char Dham routes resulting in four deaths and injuries to over a dozen people since Wednesday morning.

One person from Haryana was grievously injured when a boulder fell on his vehicle on Dungri Panth road near Sirobagad and he was rushed to a health centre in Rudraprayag where he is in critical condition, the police said.