Watch: Massive landslide on Dharchula-Lipulekh road in Uttarakhand halts traffic

Pithoragarh (Uttarakhand): Traffic on Dharchula-Lipulekh Road in Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand came to a grinding halt following a massive landslide on Wednesday. A large chunk of boulders and shooting stones came crashing down. The debris came onto the road leading to the stoppage of the construction work. The road widening work is underway after drilling into the mountains. Fortunately, no casualty was reported in the incident.  

A video shared on social media shows huge boulders and stones peeling off the mountains and falling into the Kali River stream flowing along the stretch of the highway. The construction of the all-weather road has been underway for linking Adi Kailash as well as the Indo-China border in the Kumaon region of the state. In the previous landslide, seven people had died on this stretch of the road. Officials said that more than half a dozen zones on this entire route are vulnerable to landslips.  

The ambitious road project jointly undertaken by the state and Central governments will facilitate the smooth movement of vehicular traffic, carrying devotees to Adi Kailash. The pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar will also become easier after the construction of this road. The sending of logistics and military hardware up to Indo-China will take less time when the project is finished.