Heavy rain damages highways in Uttarakhand, traffic suspended

Heavy overnight rains damaged the Rishikesh-Gangotri and Rishikesh-Badrinath national highways in Uttarakhand leading to suspension of traffic along the affected stretches for public safety, an official said on Friday.

The Rishikesh-Gangotri highway (NH-94) has been closed for traffic from Narendra Nagar to Chamba, while the Rishikesh-Badrinath highway (NH-58) has been closed from Tapovan to Maletha, Tehri District Magistrate Eva Ashish Shrivastava said.

Traffic will remain completely suspended along these stretches until they are fully repaired, she said. 

A large portion of NH-94 caved in near Fakot in Tehri district, while landslide debris falling from the hillside blocked the road at a number of places.

Cracks have appeared at multiple spots on this stretch raising fears about further damage.

The highway remains blocked by huge boulders and rocks at several places, including Bagad Dhar and Hindolakhal. A large portion of the road has washed away around Bemunda and Soni villages near Fakot, the DM said.

Landslide debris has also blocked the Rishikesh-Badrinath national highway at several points, she said.

Portions of the Sahastradhara-Maldevta road in Dehradun were also damaged in the rains.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Raipur MLA Umesh Sharma Kau visited the area on Friday morning to assess the damage. Dhami has asked District Magistrate R Rajesh Kumar to ensure repair of the road at the earliest.

Heavy rains have lashed various parts of Uttarakhand over the past few days.