DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand government on Saturday suspended the Char Dham and Hemkund Sahib pilgrimages, along with adventure trekking, for two days after the meteorological centre issued red and orange alerts for heavy rain across parts of the state.
The decision follows a red alert forecasting heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in five hill districts. Authorities have also urged residents and visitors to avoid travel during intense rain.
The restrictions will remain in place until Sunday evening or until weather conditions improve, State Disaster Management Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman said.
“The pilgrimages will remain suspended until Sunday evening or until the weather returns to normal. We hope conditions will improve by Sunday evening, after which the Char Dham Yatra can resume,” Suman said.
He said the weather had been relatively clear until Saturday afternoon, but much heavier rain was expected from the evening. Areas around Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath faced the prospect of sustained heavy rainfall, he added.
“Cloud formation has increased significantly. Heavy rain is expected, and travelling during that period will not be safe,” Suman said. The suspension covers routes to Hemkund Sahib as well as trekking trails, he confirmed.
The weather warnings extend across parts of the Garhwal region for Saturday and Sunday. With the alerts in force, Garhwal Commissioner Anand Swarup held a meeting with all district magistrates in the division on Friday to review arrangements for pilgrims.
At that meeting, officials initially decided not to suspend the Char Dham Yatra. Instead, they planned to stop pilgrims at the nearest designated holding areas if heavy rain made onward travel unsafe.
The authorities subsequently opted for a wider suspension as the weather outlook worsened. The move is intended to keep pilgrims and trekkers off vulnerable routes while the alerts remain in effect.
Officials said the journeys would resume once conditions were safe. For now, travellers have been asked to wait for an improvement in the weather rather than set out during the period of heavy rain.