Garhwal Post Bureau
Uttarkashi, 10 Apr: As is the tradition, the Char Dham Yatra begins with the opening of the portals of the Gangotri and Yamunotri temples in district Uttarkashi. However, with only nine days left for the portals of Gangotri and Yamunotri shrines to open, adverse weather continues to obstruct construction and preparatory works at both sites. Persistent snowfall has disrupted the arrangements for the Yatra to Gangotri and Yamunotri. Concerned temple priests have urged the related departments to accelerate the pace of work once conditions improve. They have warned that, if tasks are not completed in time, pilgrims would likely face serious difficulties during the yatra.
At Yamunotri, repeated spells of snowfall have stalled the construction activities in an around the shrine premises as well as along the pedestrian route. The projects undertaken by the Irrigation Department, including chasing rooms, kitchens, temporary bridges and other facilities, have been interrupted. The improvement works on the pedestrian path have also been delayed, with sudden changes in weather causing widespread impact on preparations. Priests Manmohan Uniyal, Purushottam Uniyal, Gaurav Uniyal and Pradeep Uniyal stated that heavy snowfall has made it impossible to continue work at several sites. They expressed concern that repeated interruptions could leave arrangements incomplete when the pilgrimage begins, adding that had departments begun their work on schedule, preparations would have been far more advanced by now.
Meanwhile, the Gangotri Highway between the district headquarters and Bhatwari also remains vulnerable, with eight active landslide zones along a 30-kilometre stretch yet to be treated. The road from Uttarkashi to Netala is in poor condition, though beyond that point black-topping of the road has been completed. Large boulders hanging precariously from the hillside pose a constant threat. Despite official claims that preparations are underway, ground realities reveal significant gaps. Long-active landslide zones at Netala, Laldhang and Bishanpur continue to endanger the route, while areas near Naloona, Bhatwari and Ongi, affected during last year’s disaster, remain untreated. In Bhatwari, near Ghodala, nearly 100 metres of road had sunk during last year’s calamity and landslides continued above it, yet treatment has not begun.
These conditions had previously led to prolonged road closures, with traffic halted for several days. During the disaster in Dharali last August, relief and rescue teams could only reach affected areas after three days due to blocked routes. District Magistrate Prashant Arya today had to concede that the preparations for the Char Dham Yatra had been hampered by rainfall but he assured that as the weather clears, the officials have been directed to expedite all works. He emphasised that efforts are being made to complete tasks at the shrines and on the roads to ensure that pilgrims do not face hardship during the Yatra.
