Roads blocked, bridges damaged in Kumaon

BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, July 1

A boy died after he was hit by shooting stones at Bundi in Dharchula subdivision today.

According to information, 131 persons from the Darma valley, where several bridges have washed away in the rain, have been airlifted to safe places in the past three days. Pithoragarh District Magistrate Shusheel Kumar said 52 JCBs had been deployed on 48 inner roads in the district to immediately clear the debris in case of landslides, so that villages did not remain cut off.

In Champawat district, 11 roads were blocked due to landslides following intermittent rain. Champawat District Magistrate Dipendra Chaudhari said in the wake of the forecast of heavy to moderate rains in the next 24 hours, they had sounded an alert in the district.

According to reports received from Bageshwar, more than 10 roads had been closed to traffic. In Nainital district, eight internal roads were blocked.

Sources in the Haldwani irrigation department said following the rise in the water level in Gaula and Nandhaur, an alert had been sounded in their nearby areas. Meanwhile, heavy to moderate rain continued to lash Pithoragarh district. The route of the fifth batch of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra has been diverted from Sirkha to Gala via Mangti, as the route via Kanchoti has damaged in rain. Twelve village roads have also been closed to traffic.