Monsoon rains cause havoc in Uttarakhand

With the very first spell of monsoon showers damaging nearly half-a-dozen roads and bridges in Rudraprayag and Chamoli districts, choppers were flown on Friday to the affected areas with a team of senior officials to assess conditions and ensure safety of Chardham pilgrims. Just a day after monsoon arrived in Uttarakhand, heavy rains damaged roads and bridges in the two districts on Thursday, badly affecting Chardham Yatra and restricting movement of thousands of pilgrims bound for the Himalayan shrines. Chardham Yatra and the pilgrimages to Hemkund and Mansarovar are also interrupted due to incessant rains at places and landslides bringing rubble onto the roads and blocking them at a number of points.