Uttarakhand: Passenger movement halted due to debris blockage near Sonprayag area

RUDRAPRAYG: The movement of passengers in Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag district was temporarily halted after large boulders and debris blocked the roads near the Hanuman Barrier area, while the district administration is working to clear the obstructions, Rudraprayag police said on Saturday.

An official statement clarified that passengers will only be allowed to proceed to Gaurikund once the road is cleared.

“The administration is removing the debris from the hill on the road with the help of a JCB machine. Passengers will be sent to Gaurikund only after the road is cleared,” the official statement mentioned.

On Friday, continuous rainfall in the district led to road blockages as boulders and debris fell on the path. These roads serve as a key route for pilgrims travelling to Kedarnath.

The Kedarnath Dham Yatra pilgrims were halted at Sonprayag and Gaurikund for safety reasons. After the debris was cleared, the movement of pilgrims resumed, Rudraprayag Police said in a statement.

The opening and closing of the road is being controlled, and the movement of passengers is being ensured with extra caution by the concerned working agency, administrative officials and police.

Once the road was cleared, pilgrims were allowed to continue on the Kedarnath Dham Yatra route, while those returning from Gaurikund were brought towards Sonprayag.

The district police have appealed to pilgrims visiting the Kedarnath Dham to exercise extra caution during the Kedarnath Dham Yatra and monitor the weather forecast.

Meanwhile, the search and rescue operation continued for the second day on the Alaknanda River today to locate missing persons from a bus accident that occurred in Rudraprayag on Thursday. The accident claimed the lives of four people.

The death toll from the incident rose to four after the body of a missing passenger was recovered near the Srinagar dam in Pauri Garhwal, about 40 kilometres from the accident site. (ANI)