Kedarnath: Yellow Alert Issued After Hailstorm Forecast; Pilgrims Asked To Take Precautions

In view of the weather, the Rudraprayag district administration has appealed to pilgrims coming to visit Kedarnath to stay where they are for the time being for their safety.

What did the MeT office say?

The meteorological (MeT) office has also issued a yellow alert for the state for Monday forecasting hailstorms, rain and snowfall at places located above 3,500 metres.

This kind of weather is going to continue till May 4, MeT office Director Bikram Singh said.?

Pilgrims should avoid going to the high altitude-temples during this period, he said.?

Pilgrims, particularly those coming to Kedarnath, are advised to proceed on their journey only after taking a weather update and making arrangements for their stay in advance so that they do not face any inconvenience, Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee chairman Ajendra Ajay said.

Snowfall and rain, which had triggered a landslide on the Badrinath national highway on Sunday, disrupting the yatra to the temple for nine hours, continued on Monday too.

The Chardham yatra is a pilgrimage to the Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath temples.?

How is the administration responding?

Rudraprayag District Magistrate Mayur Dikshit said the meteorological department has issued an alert for the next two to three days, in which there is a possibility of rain and snow in the upper Himalayan regions.

He appealed to pilgrims coming to Kedarnath Dham to stay at the place where they are till the weather improves.

There is continuous snowfall in Kedarnath Dham at present and the yatra is being controlled and people not being allowed to go to Kedarnath after 10.30 am from Sonprayag.

Pilgrims should take special care of their safety and cooperate with the district administration by following guidelines, Dikshit said.

He has asked the yatris to start the journey to Kedarnath only when the weather is fine.

The Badrinath national highway was opened on Monday and Dikshit inspected the Sirobagad-Jawadi stretch of the road along with PWD officials.

He instructed officials to have the potholes on the stretch repaired immediately so that pilgrims do not face any kind of trouble and inconvenience.

Earthmoving machines should be available at all times in Sirobagad landslide prone area, Dikshit said. ?

Light to moderate rains lashed various places in the plain areas of Garhwal, including Dehradun, while isolated heavy rains were also reported from a few places in Udham Singh Nagar and Nainital districts in Kumaon region, MeT office director Singh said.

In view of the MeT department's yellow alert and continuous rain and snowfall, Chamoli District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana asked officials to be on alert. ? ? ? ?

National Highways Authority of India, Border Road Organisation and Public Works Department officials were asked to put up signages around landslide prone areas and deploy adequate number of machines and labourers at such places so that road blockages can be cleared as soon as possible.?

(With PTI Inputs)

The district magistrate also said food and drinking water should be distributed among passengers if the road is blocked.