Chamoli (Uttarakhand) [India], April 10 (ANI): The Chamoli Police on Thursday stated that the Nandprayag Sakot-Kothiyalsain road, which was blocked due to a fallen tree amid heavy rainfall, has been cleared and traffic restored thanks to the swift response of the fire service team.

In a post shared on social media, Chamoli Police stated, 'Nandprayag Sakot-Kothiyalsain road was blocked due to a tree that fell during heavy rains, traffic was restored due to the promptness of the fire service.'

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The sudden change in weather conditions followed a weather alert issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The alert warned of strong winds, dust storms, and intense rainfall in parts of Chamoli district.

Chamoli District Magistrate Sandeep Tiwari, confirming the situation, said, 'IMD issued an alert yesterday that Chamoli district may witness strong winds, dust storms, and heavy rain for a few hours today. The weather changed around 2 PM today, and heavy rain was witnessed in many areas.'

He also reiterated a public advisory issued ahead of the weather shift. 'I appealed to the public yesterday to avoid going to places where the water level may rise suddenly, or drains may overflow,' he said.

Despite the intense weather activity, the District Magistrate confirmed that no untoward incidents have been reported so far.

Meanwhile, with the Chardham Yatra 2025 approaching, Dr R Rajesh Kumar, Secretary of the Medical Health Department and Nodal Officer for Badrinath Dham, held a comprehensive review meeting with officials of the concerned departments at the Collectorate in Chamoli on Wednesday.

During the meeting, Dr Kumar informed that, following the directives of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, he had recently conducted a detailed field inspection covering key infrastructure from Kameda to Badrinath, a release said.

This included evaluating the conditions of roads, electricity supply, drinking water facilities, and other essential services needed to ensure a smooth and safe pilgrimage and departments have been directed to complete all their preparations by April 25.

Dr Kumar specifically directed the completion of protection work and asphalting work in Nandprayag, Kameda, and Pagalnala within the next 15 to 20 days and to start work on the old gabion wall at Parthadip in Nandprayag. (ANI)