The portals of Badrinath are slated to be reopened for the public on April 26 but the unseasonal rain and snowfall along with snow still deposited on the highway are preventing the road repair works in this area.
The Border Roads Organisation is still clearing glaciers from the National Highway-58 to Badrinath. Observers point out that at this rate, it is doubtful whether the planned works on the National Highway will be completed on time for the resumption of the pilgrimage to Badrinath. The BRO is presently clearing the stretch of the National Highway ahead of Hanuman Chatti of glaciers, but no one appears to be acting on various other damaged stretches of the National Highway.
Apart from the Sirohbagad and lambagad slide zones new slide zones have also developed on this National Highway which could cause inconvenience to pilgrims. A side of the National Highway that had collapsed in the past, about two km from Joshimath near Zero Bend has not yet been repaired and continues to pose a danger to road users.
A new slide zone has been developed on the highway near Taiyya bridge where the road gets blocked even after light rainfall. The highway has become narrower at this site.The rain causes debris to land on the highway at this site hampering the flow of vehicular traffic. About 15 km from here is the lambagad slide zone which could not be treated even this year.
The traffic being blocked by debris at lambagad has become an annual feature of the Badrinath pilgrimage during the rains. The authorities are also focusing on removing glaciers from the highway ahead of Radang bend while the locals are questioning why the authorities did not undertake the road repair works on time.
The portals of Badrinath had been closed to the public on November 26 last year but the State Government did not focus on repairing the damaged stretches of the highway then. With the weather in the mountainous areas not expected to be clear in the coming days, locals doubt whether the highway to Badrinath will be opened and repaired in time.