Pilgrimage traffic to Uttarakhand’s revered Char Dham shrines resumed on Monday morning, 28 September, after state authorities lifted a 36-hour suspension triggered by heavy rains and landslide warnings. The disruption had left thousands of domestic and foreign pilgrims stuck at staging points along the Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri routes. Garhwal Commissioner Anand Swarup said local administrations have been instructed to regulate departures in timed batches to avoid bottlenecks on narrow mountain roads that are still being cleared of debris. Helicopter shuttles to Kedarnath—popular with elderly and overseas pilgrims—are operating, but trekking routes near Chirbasa remain temporarily closed while engineers reinforce damaged sections. Hoteliers in Rishikesh and Dehradun reported occupancy spikes of up to 90 percent over the weekend as tour operators scrambled to re-accommodate travellers. Several international travel insurance providers confirmed that trip-interruption claims related to the closure would be honoured because the state government had formally suspended the yatra. With the pilgrimage window closing in mid-November, mobility planners for expatriates and inbound corporate visitors should anticipate continued congestion on NH-7 and NH-107. Companies sending assignees to northern India are advised to schedule leisure side-trips outside peak transit days (Friday–Monday) and to brief travellers on the mandatory online registration system that the Uttarakhand government introduced earlier this season.
Source: Akashvani News
