Traffic on the Badrinath Highway near Joshimath, which had left over 3,000 tourists stranded, was partially resumed on Friday after four days. Only light vehicles and pedestrians are currently allowed to pass. The Joshimath administration reported that nearly half of the stranded pilgrims have been rescued.
Around 3,000 devotees are stranded at various locations between Govindghat and Joshimath. Many pilgrims travelling to Badrinath were forced to turn back midway as the highway remained blocked. They were unable to travel beyond the Pipalkoti area, nearly 80 km from Badrinath, after paying obeisance to the earth, believing they were close to the shrine. Frustrated tourists said they were compelled to return empty-handed without having the darshan of the deity, despite being so near.
Significantly, a large rock slid down from the hilltop on the Badrinath Highway at Chungidhara near Joshimath on July 9, blocking the road in both directions. Compounding the issue, a landslide occurred at another location near Patal Ganga over a tunnel, further obstructing the passage. As a result, traffic remained halted, leaving more than 3,000 pilgrims stranded at various points. Despite all-out efforts by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and the district administration to clear the debris, traffic could not be resumed for three full days.
Earlier, the BRO had some success in resuming traffic at Chungidhara, but another round of rockfall hindered their efforts. Workers had to run for their lives, and the road was blocked once again.
However, on Friday afternoon, the BRO resumed movement for two-wheelers and pedestrians. Teams from the SDRF and District Disaster Management successfully rescued nearly 1,500 devotees.
According to the Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Joshimath, the situation is expected to improve further, and heavy vehicles will be allowed to pass once the repaired road is deemed strong enough.