Rains play havoc, many roads closed in Uttarakhand
Rains play havoc, many roads closed in Uttarakhand
B.D.Kasniyal
Pithoragarh, Sept 25
With more than 64 mm rainfall in the last 12 hours resulted into closure of 22 motor roads in the border district of Pithoragarh. These roads include Tanakpur to Pithoragarh road, the lifeline road of the district.
“Besides the Tanakpur to Pithoragarh National Highway, 2 border roads 3 state highways and 14 village roads are closed in the district from last 12 hours, since the heavy rains started pouring,” said B.S. Mahar, District Disaster Management Officer, Pithoragarh.
According to Mahar, the district administration has been trying to open these roads.
” We have deputed JCBs and other required machines at Ghat, Gurna, Delhi bend and two other places to remove the debris from the roads, and hope to open the roads soon,” said the DDMO.
“We were coming from Tanakpur but got stranded near Ghat police post from early morning due to landslides blocking the road but neither any earth movers or any relief has reached us till 2 pm, despite children and senior citizens are there in the bus,” said Kundal Singh, a bus passenger on Tanakpur to Pithoragarh stranded at Ghat since early morning today.
Tawaghat to Lipulekh road, the key border road linking seven upper valley villages of Vyans valley at Indo-China border and security posts at Indo-China and Indo-Nepal border was also blocked due to heavy boulders blocking the road at Najang. The road had opened for past two days after remaining closed for 12 days due to landslides followed by heavy rains.
“The general life in villages near Munsiyari has been paralysed after closure of main link road to sub-division as Thal to Munsiyari road at Garasiya nullah and eight other village roads are closed due to landslides, ” said Puran Pandey, a hotelier in Munsiyari town. Meanwhile according to state government out of total 127 roads closed due to landslides, 27 have been opened today in the state.
