Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 19 Aug: The Rishikesh-Badrinath National Highway was blocked this afternoon after a massive quantity of rocky debris suddenly fell from the hillside near Bhallegaon Bagwan between Devprayag and Kirtinagar, bringing traffic on the important Char Dham route to a standstill. The landslide occurred at around 1 pm today, following which a long queue of vehicles had built up on both sides of the highway, causing considerable inconvenience to commuters and pilgrims travelling towards the higher reaches of Garhwal.
According to the latest reports, the landslide occurred near Bhallegaon on the stretch between Devprayag and Kirtinagar. Heavy rocks and debris came down from the mountainside and spread across the road, completely blocking vehicular movement. Following the landslide, the machinery has been deployed to clear the debris.
The sudden blockage has resulted in vehicles being stranded on both sides of the affected stretch. With the Rishikesh-Badrinath highway being one of the principal road links to the Garhwal hills and an important route for pilgrims and tourists travelling towards Badrinath and other destinations, even a temporary closure can lead to substantial traffic congestion.
Soon after receiving information about the landslide, Devprayag police intervened and began regulating the movement of vehicles. Vehicles were stopped at different safe locations within the tehsil area to prevent further congestion and to ensure that commuters did not remain unnecessarily exposed to the landslide-prone stretch. The police and local administration have been monitoring the situation and are coordinating efforts to restore traffic once the road is declared safe for movement.
The National Highways Authority of India has also started the process of clearing the debris. Excavation and clearance work is being carried out with the help of a JCB machine and other available equipment. The priority is to remove the accumulated rocks and debris from the carriageway at the earliest so that traffic can be restored.
Officials have indicated that vehicular movement will be resumed once the debris is completely cleared and the road is considered safe. However, given the continuing monsoon conditions and the possibility of further rockfall from the unstable slope, the reopening of the highway will depend not merely on clearing the existing debris but also on an assessment of the immediate safety of the stretch. The Rishikesh-Badrinath route is particularly important because it forms a major access corridor to several parts of Garhwal and carries a substantial volume of traffic towards Devprayag, Srinagar, Rudraprayag and further towards the Badrinath region as well as Kedarnath region. The route also handles traffic associated with the Char Dham pilgrimage, making timely clearance of blockages important for both the local residents and the visitors.
