The temporary 24-hour ban on the Char Dham Yatra has been lifted, Garhwal Divisional Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey told ANI on Monday June 30.
He added that District Magistrates along the Yatra route have been directed to regulate vehicle movement based on prevailing weather conditions in their respective areas.
This comes after the Char Dham Yatra, the pilgrimage to four Hindu sites, was suspended on Sunday due to heavy rainfall at various places across the state and possibility of landslides, the officials said.
The suspension of the Yatra was followed by a cloudburst which triggered a massive landslide near Barkot that killed two workers and left seven others missing. Meanwhile, rain lashed several parts of Chamba town today.
The search for the seven missing workers is underway and is being conducted by NDRF, SDRF, Police, and Revenue teams.
Earlier on June 29, the landslide-hit Barkot-Yamunotri road in Uttarakashi district was repaired and made smooth, as per officials.
"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 further informed that the 33 KV power line in the area had been restored and efforts to repair the 11 KV line were underway.
The landslide and cloudburst occurred around four kilometres ahead of Paligad on the Yamunotri National Highway , near Silai Band, according to the Uttarkashi Police.
A rescue operation is underway, involving personnel from police, fire services, the health department, and public works teams. The two recovered bodies have been identified as Kewal Bisht (43) from Karmamohani in Nepal’s Rajapur District, and Duje Lal (55) from Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh.
