Chardham Yatra: 2806 pilgrims left for Kedarnath Dham, Badrinath highway blocked near Helang also opened
As of 6 am today, 2806 passengers have left Sonprayag to visit Kedarnath, but 302 passengers have returned to Sonprayag from Dham. The District Magistrate, Mayur Dixit, has issued an appeal to all pilgrims planning to visit Kedarnath Dham, warning them that the weather is currently poor in the area. Heavy snowfall has caused the frequent breaking of glaciers on the Kuber and Bhairav glaciers, which has blocked the Yatra route, making it difficult for travelers to move.
To ensure the safety of passengers, the District Magistrate has announced that only a limited number of individuals staying at Sonprayag and Gaurikund will be allowed to travel to Kedarnath on foot. He has advised pilgrims to avoid visiting Kedarnath for the next two to three days due to the current weather conditions. Additionally, the DM has urged individuals to stay safe at their current locations and to plan their travels in accordance with the weather forecast.
In contrast to the situation in Kedarnath, the previously closed Badrinath National Highway near Helang has been reopened, and vehicular movement has resumed. However, the weather in the Dham area has been inclement since the opening of the Kedarnath Kapat on April 25th, with rain and snowfall being frequent occurrences. Due to these adverse weather conditions, the authorities have prevented pilgrims from traveling to Dham after 10:30 am for several days.
The pilgrimage to Dham was delayed due to heavy snowfall on Wednesday, prompting the authorities to postpone the yatra. On Thursday, the authorities resumed the transport of passengers to Dham from Sonprayag at 10 am when the weather improved. By 2 pm, a total of 9,533 devotees had been sent to Dham. However, the movement was blocked around 2.30 pm due to the breaking of an iceberg at Bhairav Gadere ahead of Lincholi on foot.
As a result of the blocked movement due to the breaking of an iceberg, the authorities were forced to halt passengers at Jangalchatti, Bhimbali, and Lincholi. Passengers who had already made it to Kedarnath were also stopped in the afternoon due to the worsening weather conditions.
According to the District Disaster Management Officer, Nandan Singh Rajwar, the majority of the pilgrims who began their journey to Kedarnath from Sonprayag at 10 am were able to reach the shrine. However, those who left after noon were stopped at various halts due to the blockage caused by the breaking of an iceberg.
Deputy Superintendent of Police, Prabodh Kumar Ghildiyal, has stated that approximately 19,000 passengers have been stopped between Sonprayag and Gaurikund due to the blockage caused by the breaking of an iceberg at Bhairav Gadere on the Gaurikund-Kedarnath pedestrian route. In response to this, the District Disaster Management Authority-Lonivi has employed 85 laborers to remove snow from the glacier zone and clear the route for passenger movement.
The laborers had started clearing the snow to resume passenger movement and were making progress until around 12:30 pm. However, at around 2:25 pm, another avalanche occurred, causing the road to be closed again. The avalanche was caused by an iceberg that was about twenty meters long and eight meters high, which had broken off in the area. As a result, an additional 50 laborers have been sent by the District Disaster Management Authority to aid in the snow removal process. According to the District Disaster Management Officer, Nandan Singh Rajwar, the pedestrian route has been blocked, causing passengers to be stopped on both sides.
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