A rockfall near Chirbasa on the Kedarnath trek route damaged the path, prompting Rudraprayag authorities to regulate pilgrim movement. While clearance is ongoing, pedestrians are being allowed through in a controlled manner.
A sudden rockfall near the Chirbasa helipad, located along the pedestrian trek route to Kedarnath Dham on Friday, damaged a section of the pedestrian trek route, prompting authorities to quickly regulate pilgrim movement and clear the path.
Police Caution Pilgrims, Regulate Movement
The Rudraprayag police department, in an X post, said that officials have cautioned devotees not to linger around the affected zone or attempt to force their way through while clearance operations are underway.
"Debris and stones falling from a hillside near Chirbasa on the Shri Kedarnath trekking route have affected the path. Pedestrian movement has been controlled with priority given to the safety of pilgrims; administration teams have been deployed on-site," the Rudraprayag police department said.
"Today morning, on the pedestrian route to Shri Kedarnath Dham, debris and stones suddenly fell from a hillside near the Chirbasa helipad, impacting the path. The Gaurikund Sector Officer informed the Rudraprayag District Emergency Operations Center via telephone. Upon receiving the information, teams from the district administration and relevant departments immediately sprang into action and reached the spot to assess the situation," the post read further.
Administration Oversees Clearance Operations
According to the post, Rudraprayag District Magistrate Vishal Mishra stated that upon receiving news of a large quantity of stones and debris falling from the hillside near Chirbasa, teams from the district administration took immediate action. With the safety of pilgrims as the utmost priority, the movement of pedestrians heading from Gaurikund toward Shri Kedarnath Dham was halted for some time, and they were stopped at safe locations.
"Our teams immediately moved there and work to clear it was carried out rapidly. At present, pedestrian pilgrims travelling on foot are being allowed through in a controlled manner in the presence of DDRF force, and they are proceeding," he said.
Path Reopening in Phases
He added that the authorities are clearing the stones and debris as quickly as possible. After the large boulders still present at the site are cleared, the pilgrimage will continue smoothly.
"Work to clear the stones is going on very rapidly there. Right now, there are some large boulders due to which horses, mules, and palanquin (dandi-kandi) services have been temporarily halted. As soon as those boulders are removed, the Yatra will resume fully and smoothly. Currently, the pedestrian path is open for foot pilgrims," he said.
Authorities Continuously Monitoring Situation
The Rudraprayag police said that the district administration is continuously monitoring the situation on the path, and ongoing coordination has been established with DDMA, DDRF, police, and other relevant teams.
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