More than two months after pilgrimage to Badrinath was disrupted, a group of pilgrims from Tamil Nadu reached this mtemple town on Thursday. The arrival of these pilgrims has raised some hope among the traders in Badrinath which was bearing a deserted look since disaster struck the State in June.
Following the disaster experienced on June 16-17, the highway to Badrinath was damaged at various points preventing the flow of traffic to the shrine. This route is still closed from lambagad to Vainakuli. The Border Roads Organisation has made a pedestrian bridge across the Alaknanda river here.
After covering some distance on foot, people can travel by vehicles to Badrinath without major inconvenience. A group of pilgrims reached Badrinath on Thursday, which is the first such group to reach the shrine after June 17. This group which comprises 41 pilgrims from Tamil Nadu first visited different shrines of religious importance in Chamoli district before leaving for Badrinath. The arrival of this group of pilgrims has raised hope among locals about resumption of the pilgrimage to this shrine.