Snowfall disrupts life, 200 people rescued along Uttarakhand’s Yamunotri highway

MOderate to heavily snowfall crosswise Uttarakhand since fri disrupted lifetime, leaving pilgrims and residents stranded on snowbound roadstead, particularly in Uttarkashi district, officials said on Saturday.The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), state police, Border Roads Organisation, and Public Works Department rescued people stranded at multiple locations in Uttarkashi. Nearly 200 people in around 50 vehicles were rescued from Jarmola Dhar along the Yamunotri highway. Officials said the driver of a vehicle refused to abandon it and remained at the site even as the rest were rescued.Uttarkashi disaster management officer Shardul Gusain said that rescuers evacuated 18 people, including women and children, stranded at Chorangi Khal on the Uttarkashi–Lambgaon road. “Using machines in two shifts, the teams shifted them to Maggi Point, where food and shelter were arranged. Three more persons stranded between Banchaura and Diwari Khol were moved to a nearby forest department post for the night,” he said.Gusain added that the Uttarkashi–Chorangi road has been cleared, while the Yamunotri highway has been reopened for traffic between Paligad and Jankichatti. Snow-cutting machines have been deployed on the Gangotri and Yamunotri highways. Roads were expected to reopen by late evening, weather permitting.Snow clearance work was underway on the Bhatwari–Harsil–Gangotri highway, Radi Top, Silkyara, and the Suwakholi–Moriyana stretch.Officials said snow cutters and other machines were deployed on the Gangotri Dham road and the Kua Kafnol–Radi route to restore connectivity. The District Emergency Operation Centre remained operational round-the-clock. Commuters have been asked to exercise extreme caution.SDRF teams rescued over 30 people and dozens of vehicles stranded in snow in the high-altitude regions of Nainital and Tehri Garhwal on Friday night.In Nainital district, SDRF teams cleared snowbound stretches at Ramgarh–Mukteshwar and Dhanachuli Bend, rescuing around 20-25 vehicles. In Tehri Garhwal, an SDRF team stationed at Ghansali rescued eight people returning from a wedding after their vehicle was trapped near Badiyar village, safely transporting them to Ghansali.In Chamoli district, the road to Malari remained closed due to heavy overnight snowfall. Access to the skiing resort of Auli was reopened for tourists, said district disaster management officer N K Joshi.In Mussoorie, tourist arrivals surged following overnight snowfall and the extended Republic Day weekend.Sub-divisional magistrate Rahul Anand said an additional company of the Provincial Armed Constabulary has been deployed, while traffic police personnel have been stationed at major bottlenecks. “Traffic is currently under control, and one-way traffic plans will be enforced if the tourist rush increases later in the day,” he said.Two national, 18 state highways, and 19 village roads were closed on Saturday due to snow, according to real-time data from the Public Works Department.