The debris from the cliffs at Hathi Parvat at Marwadi on the National Highway-58 to Badrinath have closed the route for traffic following rain in the region on Tuesday.
Since the pilgrimage to Badrinath resumed a couple of days ago, pieces falling from the cliff in this area have reportedly broken the glasses of many vehicles.
The vehicles plying from Badrinath to Joshimath were made to halt at the Vishnuprayag bridge while the pilgrims travelling to Badrinath have been stopped at Joshimath till the road is cleared.
The condition of the National Highway is also reported to be bad at Radang Bend ahead of Hanuman Chatti. The travellers are facing risky conditions while passing through this stretch. large portions of glaciers can still be seen at many locations while the alternate arrangement of placing metal boards on the snow is still being used to enable traffic to pass at Kanchanganga.
The portals of Badrinath were reopened for the public on April 26 but the weather conditions are preventing important repair works. The damaged condition of the National Highway at various stretches is one of the outcomes of delayed Government action and continued rain and snowfall in this mountainous region.
The National Highway is in a damaged state in various stretches between Joshimath and Badrinath. About 10 km from Joshimath, debris from cliffs at Hathi Parvat have been falling on the road for some days now which had also damaged the route.
On Monday, the glass of a jeep was broken by falling debris, though, none of the passengers were injured. The road was closed to traffic at this place due to debris on Tuesday afternoon.
Due to the rain, the Border Roads Organisation could not start work on clearing the road till the time of this report being filed. The work on clearing the road is likely to begin after the weather clears.
However, the stones and debris have continued to fall on the National Highway at Hathi Parvat. The road has been cleared through snow glaciers ahead of Hanuman Chatti but the journey remains challenging.
On the occasion of reopening of Badrinath, Chief Minister Harish Rawat had said that the highway would be cleared completely and repaired once the weather clears.
However, how long this will take remains to be seen. The Joshimath police station in-charge said that pilgrims have been halted at Badrinath and Joshimath till the road is cleared.