Pithoragarh: In the last few days, extreme weather conditions wreaked havoc in Uttarakhand causing blockage of several routes due to the landslides and rockfalls triggered by heavy rainfall. This has led to many pilgrims stranded at different places on Adi Kailash pilgrimage route. On Sunday, these pilgrims were safely rescued by disaster response teams, army personnel and Airforce helicopters.
On Sunday, 10 passengers from Khela were airlifted to the Army helipad in Dharchula. Unfortunately, one pilgrim, Ravdesh Nandchahal, passed away due to ill health, and his body was transported to Dharchula. Additionally, 30 passengers from Tamil Nadu stranded in Budi were safely rescued and taken to the Army helipad in Dharchula. Some individuals remain at Narayan Ashram and are scheduled to be rescued by helicopter on Monday.
Yatra route is expected to be cleared within two to three days
According to the local administration, the Yatra route is expected to be cleared within two to three days. A significant amount of debris has accumulated due to a landslide in Chaitaldhar, and the BRO team is working tirelessly to address it. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami personally monitored the rescue operation and ordered a war-footing effort to ensure the safe evacuation of passengers. The local administration, NDRF, SSB, Uttarakhand Police, and Chipsum Aviation Company conducted a rescue operation on a war footing, successfully bringing the passengers to safety.
Over 40 pilgrims were stuck due to the landslides
Recently, passengers from Tamil Nadu, Punjab, and Delhi had come to visit Adi Kailash. However, due to heavy rains on September 13, the Adi Kailash Yatra route was closed because of landslides at Chaitaldhar and other locations near Tawaghat. As a result, ten passengers from Punjab and one from Delhi were stranded in Khela, while 30 passengers from Tamil Nadu were stuck in Budi.
A rescue operation was conducted on war-footing
As soon as Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami came to know about this incident, he directed the Secretary Disaster Management and Rehabilitation to run a campaign on war footing to evacuate the passengers and rescue the passengers by helicopter. After successful completion of the rescue operation, the CM has praised the DM and SSP Pithoragarh as well as the NDRF, SSB and Civil Aviation teams. He also emphasized that the safety of the passengers is the top priority of his government and the government whole-heatedly committed to ensure that passengers from the country and abroad can travel in a safe environment.