Heavy rains halt ‘Adi Kailash Yatra’; 11 roads closed in Pithoragarh
Heavy rains halt ‘Adi Kailash Yatra’; 11 roads closed in Pithoragarh
B.D.Kasniyal
Pithoragarh, Sept 26
The ongoing ‘Adi Kailash Yatra’ was suspended on Friday following heavy rains since Thursday night, which led to the closure of the Dharchula-Gunji road at six places. The administration has temporarily stopped issuing inner-line permits for pilgrims travelling to the higher reaches, Yatra officer and Dharchula SDM Ashish Joshi said.
“Today, we have not issued any inner-line permits as the road to the higher reaches is closed at more than six places. Permits will be issued tomorrow only if road conditions and the weather improve,” Joshi said.
According to District Disaster Management Officer (DDMO) Bhupendra Singh Mahar, the Pithoragarh-Tanakpur NH-9, the district’s main link with the plains, has also been closed at Ghat Bend due to the continuous shooting of stones from the hillside.
“Besides NH-9, a total of 11 motor roads, including eight village roads and two border roads, have been closed in the district since last night,” Mahar said.
The continuous heavy rainfall has also increased the flow of the Kali, Gori and Saryu rivers. The administration has sounded an alert along their banks, as some of the rivers are likely to reach danger levels, the DDMO said.
Pithoragarh SDM Yogendra Singh said that, in view of the continuing rain, thunderstorms and lightning, he had held a video conference with officials of all subdivisions of the district and instructed them to remain alert and immediately initiate rescue measures in the event of people or vehicles getting stranded due to landslides or rain-related incidents.
“We have instructed the officials to ensure that closed roads are reopened at the earliest and that essential food supplies are provided to people stranded due to road closures,” Singh said.
