Shopkeepers in Bemunda who were forced to shut shop due to mud and debris entered their shops during the June 2013 disaster have not been able to open their shops even this year because the debris are yet to be cleared.
Due to lack of clearing and repair work done on the Rishikesh-Chamba highway, the shopkeepers from Bemunda and Aamsera are yet to open their shops though the Yatra season has already begun.
The affected shopkeepers were hoping that the authorities would remove the debris to enable them to open their shops this Yatra season. However, with the debris not being cleared the shopkeepers are yet to start earning this season. “The mud and debris can been seen strewn on the road near Bemunda, Jajal and other places but there is no sign of treatment of the roads damaged last year,” complained the shopkeepers. Shopkeepers Rajendra Singh and Bhagwan Singh said that they were left without a means of income due to the disaster last year and were hoping that the treatment work would finish before the start of the Yatra season this has not been done, which has forced the shopkeepers to keep their shops shut. This is making it difficult for them to sustain their families.