Over 350 pilgrims stopped as landslide blocks Adi Kailash route in Uttarakhand

More than 350 pilgrims heading to Adi Kailash were stopped at the Dharchula base camp in Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh district on Friday after a heavy landslide the night before blocked the road at Mangti nullah on the route to Gunji, officials said.

In-charge of the Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN) base camp at Dharchula, Dhan Singh Bisht, said the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) had cleared snow from the stretch between Kuti and Jolingkong two days ago, allowing vehicles to reach the Adi Kailash temple.

“However, the fresh landslide last night suddenly disrupted the pilgrimage,” Bisht said.

He added that until two days ago, some groups of pilgrims had been able to have darshan of the sacred peak from near Jolingkong, as an eight-kilometre stretch of the route remained covered in heavy snow.

Despite the difficulties posed by the weather and road conditions, pilgrims remained enthusiastic about the journey, Bisht said, adding that the process of issuing inner-line permits had resumed.

Meanwhile, the southwest monsoon is likely to withdraw from Uttarakhand within the next 24 hours, with weather conditions turning favourable for its retreat, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Dehradun. IMD officials said seasonal rains had begun retreating across northwest India, paving the way for the monsoon’s withdrawal from the hill state.

Uttarakhand recorded largely dry weather in the 24 hours ending at 8.30 am on Friday, with 12 of the 13 districts reporting no rainfall. Bageshwar recorded 0.8 mm against a normal of 0.7 mm.

According to the IMD’s seven-day forecast, dry conditions are expected across the state over the weekend, with isolated fog in the plains during the morning. Rain activity is likely to resume on Monday, with light showers, thunderstorms and lightning at isolated places in the hills. From Tuesday, light to moderate rain is expected at several locations, with Wednesday likely to witness widespread rainfall, including heavy showers at some places, before activity gradually subsides on Thursday, according to IMD officials.