Badrinath highway reopens for commuters following debris removal

Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], August 14 (ANI): The Badrinath Highway was reopened for traffic on Thursday after being blocked by debris falling from the hills near the Nandprayag, Bhanerpani, and Pagalnala areas.
In a post on X, the Chamoli Police confirmed the development.

"Traffic Update | Badrinath National Highway. The Badrinath National Highway which was blocked near #Nandprayag, #Bhanerpani (Pipalkoti) and #Pagalnala has been opened for traffic," it said.

Earlier, the Chamoli Police posted on X, "Badrinath National Highway is blocked due to debris falling from the hill near #Nandprayag, #Bhanerpani (Pipalkoti) and #Pagalnala."

In another post, Almora police stated that traffic had been disrupted due to continuous debris and stones falling from the hillside near Kwarab on the Almora-Haldwani NH.

The police appealed to the people to use the alternative routes via Ranikhet or Lamgada for travel. "Continuous debris and stones are falling from the hillside near Kwarab on the Almora-Haldwani NH, causing a complete disruption of traffic.

Use alternative routes via Ranikhet or via Lamgada for travel," the post read. A day earlier, Kedarnath Yatra pilgrims were stopped at Sonprayag and Jawadi police posts, where barricades were set up to prevent them from proceeding further, in light of the heavy rainfall warnings in the state.

The district administration closed the yatra from August 12 to August 15 as a precautionary measure to ensure pilgrim safety. When around 100-150 pilgrims tried to force their way past the barricades at Sonprayag, the police intervened and stopped them without any major incidents.

Superintendent of Police Rudraprayag, Akshay Prahlad Konde, confirmed that the situation was brought under control without any issues. SP Prahlad Konde said, this morning, around 100-150 pilgrims reached Sonprayag and they tried to go ahead by arguing with the police at Sonprayag.

The police stopped them and did not let them go. No incident has happened with anyone in this case. "When they were stubborn despite instruction, the police had to take action to disperse them," he added.

This comes following a video of the altercation between the Rudraprayag Police and the pilgrims going viral in Sonprayag. (ANI)