The heavy snowfall experienced in the near past in the mountainous regions of Uttarakhand also caused damage in places, including Badrinath. Blocks of snow formed due to increased snowfall caused disruption in traffic and damaged property in different areas. The Hemkund area, too, has not remained untouched by problems caused by such blocks breaking.
The road in this area has been blocked by collapsing snow blocks with labourers of the army and Public Works Department having a hard time trying to clear the road.
The portals of the Hemkund Sahib and lakshman temple are slated to be reopened for the public later in May.
The authorities are busy in preparations for this important event which will mark the start of inflow of pilgrims to these important shrines. At present, the army engineers and labourers are working on reopening the route from Govind Dham to Hemkund.
Though most of the route has been cleared, a stretch of about two kilometres is yet to be cleared. Due to the heavy snowfall, the authorities have been able to clear the route to allow only one person to pass at a time with snow bounding the route on both the sides. Sources said that there is still considerable snow above Atlakoti.
Hauli resident Harish Chauhan said that collapsing snow blocks have caused damage in Govind Dham with mule shelters and a couple of homes being damaged. Personnel of the various departments concerned are presently working on restoring basic facilities in the area. While the PWD is busy restoring the routes, the Jal Sansthan and Power department are busy trying to restore the supply of water and electricity respectively.
The weather in the upper Himalayan region is not consistently clear. Nowadays, some areas in the higher reaches are experiencing light snowfall and rain in the afternoon which is creating problems for the workers in these areas.