After being hit by landslide, Rishikesh-Badrinath NH now clear for movement

New Delhi: Rishikesh-Badrinath National Highway (NH) near Hathi Parbat which was shut due to landslide now opened, said SP Chamoli Tripti Bhatt, reported news agency ANI. Thousands of people were stranded on way to Badrinath as landslide hits Char Dham route. The highway was closed as a result of this natural calamity. The BRO officials had said that the efforts to clear the boulders were on war footing. Top officials of the area, including DM and SSP, had reached the spot and were monitoring the situation. Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat had instructed officials to constantly monitor the situation. CM had said that the situation would be brought under control and assured the passengers that the Char Dham yatra would go smoothly. The pilgrims were being facilitated at Joshimath, Pipalkoti, Karnaprayag, Govindghat and Badrinath. Char Dham comprises of four pilgrimage sites in India that are widely revered by Hindus. It comprises Badrinath, Dwarka, Puri and Rameswaram and is considered highly sacred by Hindus to visit Char Dham during one's lifetime. Badrinath is a holy town and a nagar panchayat in Chamoli district in the state of Uttarakhand and is the most important of the four sites in India's Char Dham pilgrimage and gets its name from the temple of Badrinath.