Boulders fall on NH7, Char Dham Yatra stops on Badrinath route

CHAMOLI: The traffic movement on Badrinath route, NH7, near Panchpulia in Uttarakhand's Karnaprayag was disrupted after boulders fell from the hill on Tuesday. Following the disruption, the Badrinath Yatra through this route was stopped due to the closure of the highway and the operation to open the route is underway.

The Badrinath Yatra had resumed only a few hours ago before it was suspended on Monday amid heavy rainfall followed by falling boulders near Hanuman Chatti and rising water in Lambagad drain. The portals of Badrinath Dham were opened on May 8, with the carrying capacity of 16,000 devotees to the Dham in a day.

According to the Chamoli District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana, as many as 115 vehicles had left Badrinath this morning, as soon as weather cleared in the morning. Located in Garhwal hill tracks in Chamoli district along the banks of Alaknanda River, Badrinath Temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu.

The shrine is one of the four ancient pilgrimage sites referred to as 'Char Dham' which also includes Yamunotri, Gangotri, and Kedarnath. It is situated in the town of Badrinath in Uttarakhand. It remains open for six months every year between the end of April and the beginning of November.