24-hour ban on Char Dham Yatra lifted; state had witnessed cloudburst and landslides

The 24-hour ban on Char Dham Yatra was lifted on Monday, stated officials.

While speaking to ANI, Garhwal Divisional Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey said, "The 24-hour ban on Char Dham Yatra has been lifted."

The commissioner further stated that the District Magistrates of all districts along the Yatra route have been instructed to stop vehicles in view of weather conditions in their respective districts.

This comes after the Char Dham Yatra was suspended on Sunday following a heavy rain alert, as per officials.

The suspension of the Yatra was followed by a cloudburst, triggering a massive landslide near Barkot, killing two workers and leaving seven others missing.

Meanwhile, rain lashed several parts of Chamba town today.

Earlier on June 29, the landslide-hit Barkot-Yamunotri road in Uttarakashi district was repaired and made smooth, as per officials.

However, the search for the seven missing individuals continued.

Uttarkashi District Magistrate Prashant Arya confirmed to ANI that repairs have been completed on the washout before Silai Band, and that efforts are ongoing to restore other damaged portions of the road.

"The washout that happened due to a cloud burst before Silai Band on the Barkot-Yamunotri road of the district has been repaired and the road has been made smooth, while the work of making the other washout smooth is going on," Uttarkashi District Magistrate Prashant Arya told ANI.

The District Magistrate also informed that the 33 KV power line in the area has been restored, and efforts are underway to repair the 11 KV line. Seven workers are still missing, for whom the search is being conducted by NDRF, SDRF, Police, and Revenue teams, he added.

According to Uttarkashi Police, the landslide and cloudburst occurred around four kilometres ahead of Paligad on the Yamunotri National Highway, near Silai Band. A rescue operation is underway, involving personnel from police, fire services, the health department, and public works teams.

The two bodies recovered have been identified as Kewal Bisht, a 43-year-old from Karmamohani, Rajapur District in Nepal, and Duje Lal, aged 55, from Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh. 

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