Bailey bridge nears completion to restore connectivity in flood-hit Uttarkashi: Officials 

Construction of a vital Bailey bridge along the Gangotri National Highway entered its final phase on Sunday, aiming to restore connectivity to the disaster-hit areas of Uttarkashi and regulate food supplies to the affected people, officials said.

A Bailey bridge is a kind of modular bridge that can be quickly assembled with pre-built parts.

Home Secretary Shailesh Bagauli has directed authorities to supply 2,000 litres of diesel per day to Dharali and ensure the transportation of LPG cylinders to those impacted.

Horses and mules should be used to maintain transportation of essential supplies to the affected people until the roads are repaired and become operational, he said.

Officials here said the bailey bridge, being built over Limchagad between Gangnani and Dharali, is in its final phase and is likely to be ready by Sunday evening. It will help restore connectivity to the affected areas, they said.

Blockages along the highway at Songad, Dabrani, Harsil, and Dharali are also being cleared on a war footing, they added.

However, rain on Sunday morning has hampered the evacuation of stranded people by helicopters.

More than 1,000 people had been evacuated by Saturday.

The search for the missing in the flood-ravaged Dharali also continued, with the help of SDRF sniffer dogs and state-of-the-art equipment such as victim locating and thermal imaging cameras.

The SDRF is also preparing to deploy its divers with rafts to aid the ongoing search operations, officials said.