Efforts underway to rescue stranded tourists; Kedarnath reconstruction work halted

Reconstruction work in Kedarnath area has been suspended in the wake of heavy snowfall having lashed Uttarakhand last week, even as the authorities launched efforts to rescue the tourists who are stranded due to roadblocks.

Four tourists from Delhi and a couple of workers were stranded for the past four days at a hotel in the hilly Chakrata area of Dehradun district, where heavy snowfall has blocked many roads, police said on Monday.

"We will try to clear the road leading to a hotel in Chakrata, where four tourists are said to be stranded in a hotel due heavy snowfall in the area," said Anup Nayal, the Station House Officer (SHO) at Chakrata.

In the Kedarnath area, power supply has been affected in the past few days, leading to suspension of reconstruction work in the area.

Reports from the district headquarters in Rudraprayag said the heavy snowfall has virtually cutoff the main pathway leading to the Kedarnath area. "The work will remain suspend for a week," said an engineer at Kedarnath. All the labourers have been asked to return to the base camp from Kedarnath.

Meanwhile, tourists at Lokhandi hotel in Chakrata have posted a video in the social media saying they are facing an acute shortage of food and water due to the snowfall. They urged Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat to intervene and provide immediate help.

--IANS

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