The Kedarnath Yatra, believed to be one of the most sacred yatra, has been suspended on Wednesday in view of the Orange Alert issued by Meteorological Department (MD) for heavy snowfall in the hilly areas of Uttarakhand and four districts on Wednesday. MD has issued an orange alert for Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Chamoli, Bageshwar and Pithoragarh. Meanwhile, Superintendent of Police Dr. Visakha Ashok Bhadane said that the police have stopped thousands of pilgrims in Rudraprayag, Tilawada, Phata, Sonprayag. Travel from Rishikesh, Srinagar has been suspended.
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DGP Ashok Kumar visited Kedarnath to review the situation and appealed pilgrims, especially those with heart ailments, to take necessary precautions. Citing that oxygen pressure at such heights of over 11,000 feet can decrease amid the continuous snowfall, Kumar advised all pilgrims to remain careful. “Those who have heart diseases should bring their medicines with them so that they don’t have to face any problem,” he added.
The pilgrims have been asked to wait in Gaurikund and Sonprayag till the weather improves and they can resume their journey, he said. Pilgrims visiting Kedarnath and other Himalayan temples in Uttarakhand have been advised to take precautions as bad weather persisted in the region on Tuesday, officials said.
Mayur Dixit, Rudraprayag District Magistrate (DM) said, “Due to bad weather and snowfall in Kedarnath, the registration of pilgrims for Kedarnath has been closed till May 3. The decision to continue registration will be taken after review of weather conditions.”
District Magistrate added,” The registrations are open only for Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri Dham at the passenger registration centre located in Rishikesh.”
On Monday, the Meteorological Department issued alert for rain and snowfall in the high Himalayan regions for next 2-3 days. Rudraprayag District Magistrate Mayur Dixit said that an appeal has been made for taking care of the safety of the pilgrims visiting Kedarnath Dham.
The MeT Department predicted similar weather for the high-altitude temples in Uttarakhand till May 4 and advised the pilgrims, especially the ones bound for Kedarnath, to stay where they are and proceed on their onward journey only after improvement in the weather.
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