Vital bridge to Valley of Flowers, Hemkund Sahib razed in landslide

DEHRADUN: A motor bridge connecting Govindghat to

Hemkund Sahib

and the

Valley of Flowers

National Park collapsed due to a massive

landslide

on Wednesday. The landslide was triggered by boulders tumbling down the hillside near Govindghat in Chamoli.
The bridge was located on the

Badrinath National Highway

, the main route for the 4km stretch from Govindghat to Pulna village. From there, visitors are required to trek to Hemkund Sahib, a popular shrine of the Sikh community, and the Valley of Flowers, a Unesco World Heritage Site. Both the sites are currently snow-bound and not accessed by visitors.
An official said multiple villages in the area which are inhabited in the winter months, including Pulna and Bhyundar, were cut off from the district headquarters after the bridge collapsed and several vehicles were stranded across the Alaknanda river.
"The landslide struck in the morning. Connectivity to a few villages has been disrupted, and our top priority is ensuring there is no shortage of essential supplies," said

Chamoli district

magistrate (DM) Sandeep Tewari.

He added that officials from the public works department (PWD) were sent to assess the damage and propose urgent measures to restore connectivity. "The plan proposed by PWD officials will be submitted to the govt to ensure the bridge is rebuilt before the Char Dham Yatra begins," said the DM.
Notably, the portals of Hemkund Sahib gurdwara are set to open on May 25 while the Valley of Flowers National Park generally opens for visitors in June.