Chamba, Bharmour remain cut off; 3K pilgrims, tourists rescued

The district headquarters of Chamba and the sacred town of Bharmour remained cut off by road from all sides on the fourth consecutive day after widespread damage caused by flashfloods and landslides.

The two major routes via Pathankot and Dharamsala are blocked while the Sacch Pass is already closed. The remote Pangi valley has also been isolated from the rest of the country. The Mani Mahesh Yatra has been severely disrupted after a cloudburst triggered flashfloods in the Mani Mahesh drain earlier this week, sweeping away roads and bridges along the pilgrimage route. Thousands of devotees were left stranded as the Chamba-Bharmour National Highway was washed away at multiple locations.

The district officials said more than 3,000 pilgrims and tourists, including 280 children, had been rescued till Thursday. “The situation is critical as several stretches of the highway have completely disappeared into the Ravi river. At many points, there is no trace of the road left,” a senior official said. The communication services, too, have been crippled for four days in Chamba and Bharmour. Airtel’s mobile call services were partially restored in Chamba, but internet services are still down.

The pilgrims, who managed to reach Banikhet on foot, narrated harrowing experiences of walking nearly 80 km through landslide-hit terrain.

Some pilgrims from Gurdaspur said the administration and the government did not provide any help, and that it was only because of the efforts made by locals that they were alive. Not even a JCB was visible along the devastated routes, they said . Some stretches of road beyond Chamba have been restored for one-way traffic, but officials admitted that conditions remained precarious. The yatra track beyond Bharmour is reported to be extensively damaged, raising concerns over the safety of those still stranded. A few elderly pilgrims with health issues were airlifted to safety.