Traffic affected as rain damages stretch of National Highway near Gauchar town in Uttarakhand

Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], July 25 (ANI): Traffic was affected after a 70-metre stretch of the National Highway was damaged due to rainfall near Gauchar town in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand on Monday, officials said.

Following the breach, officials from the concerned departments were sent to restore the road for traffic as soon as possible.
“The National Highway near Gauchar, Kameda has been blocked for movement due to a breach of about 70 meters of a stretch of road. The concerned departments and executive bodies are working on a war footing to restore the road as soon as possible,” a government official said.

The official said that the route has been blocked for the next two-three days for commuters and vehicles on their way to Badrinath Dham.

Similarly, Chamoli District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana told ANI that a stretch of about 70 to 100 metres collapsed on the Badrinath Highway in Kameda.

Long queues of vehicles were left stranded on both sides of the road following the incident.

The DM further added that Sub-divisional Magistrate and other officials had been sent to assess the situation.

Badrinath Highway has been closed at many places in Chamoli district this morning due to heavy rains last night, officials said.

The officials said that five vehicles standing on the roadside were buried under the debris when a portion of a road collapsed in the Bhatnagar area of Chamoli district.

Badrinath Highway near Uma Maheshwar Ashram in Karnprayag has been blocked due to debris coming off from the hill, officials said.

Traffic has been suspended and the Yamunotri pilgrimage halted as boulders continue to fall at many places on the Yamunotri Highway for the last three days as persistent rains continue to wreak havoc in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand, officials said.

District disaster management official of Uttarkashi, Devendra Patwal, said that due to the boulders falling continuously for the last three days, the traffic on both sides of the road has come to a complete standstill.