Pilgrims were on Saturday left stranded at various places in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi and Chamoli districts after heavy downpour caused several roadblocks.

The Char-Dham yatris were on the annual four-pronged journey to Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gandotri and Yamunotri.

The road to Badrinath was blocked on Saturday following a landslip — caused by heavy rainfall over 20 hours — around 12 km from Joshimath in Chamoli district.

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is finding it difficult to clear the highway as rocks continue to fall from the mountains.

The Gangotri National Highway too was closed till late afternoon on Saturday, leaving around 2,000 pilgrims stranded near Dharansu, which is around 25 km from Uttarkashi.

Debris from landslips filled the roads, making it impossible for those travelling from Gangotri to Yamunotri to progress.

Pilgrims going to Badrinath and Kedarnath had to take alternative routes due to blocked roads.

While all the roads to Kedarnath, which lies in Rudraprayag district, were open, this region faced a problem of a different nature. Keshav Tewari, a panchayat member from the Guptkashi, has been sitting on a fast-unto-death at Kedarnath for four days now, demanding that a road be constructed along the 14-km stretch to Kedarnath.

Mr. Tewari wants a road for the benefit of pilgrims who could not afford air transport. As a result of his fast, helicopter services to Kedarnath have been stopped since Friday, causing an additional problem to the pilgrims.

Director of the Meteorological Centre Anand Sharma said: “We have declared monsoons in Uttarakhand today [Saturday] and have warned the Uttarakhand Disaster Management and Mitigation Centre of 72 hours of continuous downpour in the State.”

The Uttarakhand Disaster Management and Mitigation Centre, however, said the landslips were caused by regular blasts done at sites for hydro projects.

Last year, 176 pilgrims were killed and 76 injured due to flash floods or landslips during monsoon.

This year, rescue teams have been put in place in all districts. Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna on Friday allotted Rs.3 crore to each of the 13 districts to meet the requirements for the safety of the people.