Uttarakhand: Traffic stalled on Gangotri Highway after land caves

Uttarkashi, August 27

Vehicular traffic was suspended on Sunday on the Rishikesh-Gangotri National Highway in Chinyalisaur area of Uttarkashi district after the land caved in, affecting a 100-metre stretch.

Officials said that the movement of vehicles has been stopped by the police and the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) due to damage to the road.

Land cave-ins have been occurring at this place for a long time but on Saturday night a large stretch of the highway was affected.

The residents of the area claimed that such incidents have increased since the rise in the water level of the Tehri Dam reservoir.

On Sunday, the water level of the reservoir reached around 822.14 metres.

Due to the increase in the water level, about 100 meters of National Highway No. 94 is on the verge of collapsing into the reservoir.

Among the affected areas are Valmiki Mohalla, Public Works Department, Forest Department, Community Health Centre, Jakhwadi Mohalla, Jogath Road, Bijlwan and Ramola Mohalla, Arch Bridge to Peepal Mandi, Arch Bridge to Chinyalisaur, Hadiyari, Bandhangaon Motor Road and others located on the banks.

On August 25, BRO Assistant Engineer Vinod Kumar Deori, Tehri Hydro Development Corporation (THDC) India Additional General Manager Dinesh Shukla, Deputy Manager Atul Bahuguna and other officials visited the affected sites.

Former chairperson of the municipal body Shurveer Rangad said that landslides and cave-ins have been increasing for the last five years in an area of about seven kilometres from Nagun to Badethi, for which THDC India has started work in the affected area.

Stating that the future of Chinyalisaur is in danger due to sinking of land at various places, Rangad said that if immediate action is not taken in this regard, the people of the affected area will protest against THDC.