The 24-hour suspension of the Char Dham Yatra was lifted on Monday, officials confirmed.
Speaking to media, Garhwal Divisional Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey said,
“The 24-hour ban on Char Dham Yatra has been lifted.”
He further mentioned that District Magistrates of all districts along the Yatra route have been instructed to halt vehicles based on local weather conditions.
The suspension, imposed on Sunday, followed a heavy rain alert and a cloudburst that triggered a massive landslide near Barkot, resulting in the deaths of two workers and leaving seven others missing.
Meanwhile, Chamba town also witnessed heavy rainfall on Monday.
On June 29, officials reported that the Barkot-Yamunotri road in Uttarkashi district, which was damaged by the landslide, has been repaired and smoothed. However, search efforts for the missing individuals continue.
Uttarkashi District Magistrate Prashant Arya confirmed to media,
“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.”
He also stated that the 33 KV power line in the affected area has been restored, and work is in progress to repair the 11 KV line. The search for the seven missing workers continues with the efforts of NDRF, SDRF, Police, and Revenue teams.
According to Uttarkashi Police, the cloudburst and landslide occurred approximately four kilometres ahead of Paligad, near Silai Band on the Yamunotri National Highway. Rescue operations are being carried out by teams from the police, fire services, health department, and public works.
The two recovered bodies have been identified as:
- Kewal Bisht, 43, from Karmamohani, Rajapur District, Nepal
- Duje Lal, 55, from Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh
Authorities are closely monitoring the situation, and pilgrims are advised to travel with caution.