Yatra route to be rebuilt for safer pilgrimage

After landslides and flashfloods due to heavy monsoon rains severely damaged the traditional trail, the Manimahesh Yatra route is being rebuilt to ensure greater safety and accessibility.

The stretch from Hadsar to Dhancho and Sundarasi leading up to Dal Lake, which was devastated by cloudbursts and slope failures, is being rebuilt on priority.

Chamba Deputy Commissioner Mukesh Repaswal said teams of the Public Works Department were engaged in constructing an alternative pathway. “An interim route will be ready in next two to three days, allowing people to bring down essential supplies stuck at higher camps. Meanwhile, a long-term plan is underway to make the 14-km stretch permanently safe and convenient,” he said.

The plan envisions separate pathways for pedestrians and ponies or mules, a move aimed at reducing congestion and preventing accidents during peak pilgrimage days. Rest shelters are also being proposed at intervals, where pilgrims can drink water, rest under shade and recover from the steep climb. “These measures will make the trek more organised and significantly more comfortable than before,” the DC added.

Authorities have identified several stretches along the route vulnerable to landslides. Expert agencies have been roped in to strengthen slopes and improve drainage to prevent recurrence of disasters. Culverts and small bridges constructed earlier are also being reinforced to ensure long-term durability.

One of the biggest challenges has been to bring back heavy goods, including langar material and shopkeepers’ stock, stuck at Sundarasi, Manimahesh and Dhancho. To address the issue, the administration has approved a 6-km span system through which supplies will be lifted directly to Hadsar. This will ensure the goods are retrieved quickly without waiting for the restoration of blocked treks.

The administration is also contemplating to regulate access to the Kugti Pass and Kamalkund trail. This year, several pilgrims died on these routes due to oxygen shortage and extreme weather conditions. Henceforth, only local devotees from Lahaul and Bharmour, who are associated with age-old traditions linked to these paths, will be permitted to use the routes. Pilgrims from other regions will have to take the Hadsar–Dal Lake trail.

Repaswal underlined that the first priority is to ensure the safety and smooth conduct of the pilgrimage.

Heavy rains from August 23-26 had wreaked havoc in Chamba district. Bharmour was the worst-hit as the tribal subdivision was cut off from the district headquarters due to severe damage to National Highway-154A resulting in more than 15,000 Manimahesh pilgrims getting stuck at various locations. The administration had launched a massive rescue operation by land route and by air to evacuate the stranded pilgrims.