Kedarnath Yatra resumes after landslide blocks trek route; IMD issues alert

MUssoorie: The Kedarnath Yatra resumed on fri afternoon after remaining suspended for o'er phoebe hours due to a rain-triggered landslip and bowlder fall that blocked the trekking route near the Chirbasa helipad in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag district. While pilgrims on foot were allowed to proceed after the route was cleared, mule and horse services remained suspended as authorities continued restoration work amid fresh rainfall warnings.The incident occurred at around 6.30 am after continuous overnight rainfall loosened the slopes, sending massive boulders crashing onto the pedestrian trail leading to Kedarnath. The trekking route was reopened for foot pilgrims at around 1 pm after debris and boulders were removed."The Kedarnath Yatra was halted after boulders fell on the pedestrian route, blocking it completely at around 6.30 am on Friday. PWD personnel deployed at the site managed to reopen the route for pedestrian pilgrims at around 1 pm, following which the yatra resumed," Sunil Singh Rawat, executive engineer, PWD Guptkashi, said."We expect the route to be completely restored by Saturday as clearance work is continuing," he added.In another incident, heavy boulders fell near Gaurikund on the Kedarnath route early on Friday morning, prompting authorities to temporarily halt pilgrim movement as a precaution."Huge boulders had slid onto the road early in the morning but were cleared immediately using heavy machinery, after which the yatra resumed and is now proceeding smoothly without any hindrance," Prerna Jaguri, executive engineer, National Highways PWD division, said.Meanwhile, vehicular movement on the Yamunotri Highway near Sayana Chatti was restored after authorities cleared debris from a landslide triggered by continuous rainfall over the past few days.District disaster management officials said essential services and traffic returned to normal after the affected stretch was reopened.Uttarkashi District Magistrate Prashant Arya said the administration remained fully prepared to ensure the safe movement of Char Dham pilgrims and local residents while maintaining uninterrupted essential services.Monsoon activity remained normal across Uttarakhand over the past 24 hours, with very light to moderate rainfall reported in several areas and heavy to very heavy showers at isolated locations.According to the State Emergency Operations Centre, 49 roads remained closed across Uttarakhand till Friday evening. Pithoragarh accounted for 19 blocked roads, followed by five each in Chamoli, Bageshwar and Pauri districts, three in Dehradun and two in Rudraprayag.The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for Saturday, forecasting heavy rainfall at isolated places in Dehradun, Champawat, Nainital and Bageshwar districts.Weather officials have warned of severe thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and very intense to extremely intense spells of rain at isolated locations in Dehradun and Bageshwar.Heavy rainfall is also likely at isolated places in Rudraprayag, Tehri, Pauri, Haridwar, Uttarkashi, Udham Singh Nagar and Pithoragarh districts, while the remaining districts are expected to witness thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and intense spells of rain at isolated locations.