Friday, July 1, 2011

Heavy rain halts Amarnath Yatra

NEW DELHI: The annual Amarnath Yatra was on Friday temporarily suspended from the Baltal route as heavy rain continued to lash parts of north India.

Downpour triggered a flood-like situation in southern Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and caused landslides in Uttarakhand, where hundreds of pilgrims were reportedly stranded at various places. "The Amarnath Yatra from Baltal route has been stopped temporarily due to inclement weather. A decision on allowing the pilgrims to proceed further will be taken only after the track is declared safe," a Yatra committee official said in Srinagar.

Hundreds of pilgrims going to three shrines of Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri in Uttarakhand were stranded due to landslides. At least 10 people have died in rain-related incidents in the state in the last fortnight.

Puish Rautela, executive director of Uttarakhand Disaster Management Mitigation Centre at Dehradun, said highways along the Rishikesh-Gangotri , Dehradun-Yamnotri and the Rishikesh-Badrinath routes suffered damage . The Rajasthan government has taken up rescue operation. At least 2,000 people in several flood-hit villages of Baran and Kishanganj have been moved to safer places. Baran district authorities put the crop loss at Rs 70 crore.

toi

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