The pilgrimage to Badrinath and Hemkund resumed with the weather improving and the subsided stretch of the national highway at Benakuli being reopened for small vehicles on Tuesday. Some days ago, the district administration had ordered halt on the pilgrimage to Badrinath and Hemkund due to inclement weather and road blockages.
Following forecast of heavy rains by the State Meteorological centre on July 16, the State Government had directed the district magistrates concerned to order suspension of the Char Dham Yatra till improvement in the weather. With the weather improving on Tuesday, the travelers waiting to reach Badrinath and Hemkund were allowed to move ahead from Joshimath. The national highway to Badrinath was earlier blocked by landslide debris at lambagad slide zone and at Benakuli due to a 100 metre stretch of the national highway subsiding here.
Talking to The Pioneer, the Chamoli district magistrate SA Murugesan said that while the pilgrimage to Hemkund had been reopened, the pilgrimage to Badrinath was also reopened on Tuesday.The Border Roads Organisation had removed the landslide debris at lambagad and opened this stretch of the national highway for traffic on Monday itself.The BRO had then started working on the 100 metre subsided stretch of the national highway at Benakuli and this too was opened for small vehicles by Tuesday afternoon.
Though the pilgrimage to Badrinath and Hemkund has been reopened for now, observers opine that suspensions in the pilgrimage to these two religious centres can be expected in the future too especially if it rains heavily. Heavy rains generally result in landslides and other factors blocking the national highway at lambagad slide zone and other sites sensitive from the view point of disaster.
However, this year, the authorities are preventing pilgrims from moving ahead and making them halt at safe places in case of inclement weather forecast. This is aimed at mitigating danger and inconvenience to the pilgrims.