Roads closed in Johar valley due to snow, debris

B.D.Kasniyal                                  Pithoragarh, April 12  More than 4000 villagers of Johar valley are  not able to reach their high Himalayan  villages from thier winter homes to reach their respective villages for summer cultivation as the way to Johar valley is closed due to glacial snow deposits or land slides debris.
“As the road from winter residence villages at lower valleys to high Himalayan villages of upper Johar valley is closed from last 5 months, the villagers are waiting to clear it as they have to reach their respective villages to sow the summer crops,” said Sri Ram Singh Dharmasaktu, president of Malla Johar Sangharsh aum Vikas Samiti at Munsiyari.
Munsiyari SDM, Khushbu Pandey has said that she has sent a team of PWD workers to open the village track routes and in next 3 days the tracks to Malla Johar villages will be opened provided the weather gets friendly.”The sowing time of high altitude crops, has become late this year but not has expired as these crops can be sown till last week of April, ” said the Munsiyari SDM.
Besides Phaphar and Palthi,( buckwheat scientifically known as fagopyrum esculentum) the high altitude villagers also sow the crops of mustard, potato, Kala jeera, Jamu and Ganrayan during their summer stay in their traditional houses in high Himalayan region.
“While the old track route from Munsiyari town  to Milan, is closed from last 5 months due to snowfall,  the village routes are closed as the debris of under construction road has fell onto traditional village tracks,” said Dharmasaktu.
According to administration sources, the route is closed at Syuni,Jamdhari,Bugdiyar and Nahardevi, due to deposits of snow. “We have already late to sow the crop of Palthi and Phaphar, if the route does not open soon, our people will face loses, as these crops fetch high sale money,” said  Birbal Singh Laspal, a local villagers of Laspal village of upper Johar region.
According to administration sources at Munsiyari, the administration has already instructed the nodal agency of Munsiyari town to open the Milan road soon as no JCB machines can be sent to these narrow tracks. We have sent teams of labourers to clear the debris, “said the SDM.