Thousands of pilgrims caught in kilometer-long queues on Badrinath highway
If you were planning a trip to Badrinath or Hemkund Sahib this weekend, you'd be stuck in some serious traffic.
Around Joshimath, thousands of pilgrims are caught in long vehicle queues stretching for kilometers on the Badrinath Highway (NH-7).
With over 30,000 people heading to Badrinath Dham and up to 10,000 more going toward Hemkund Sahib every day, the roads just can't keep up.
To help out, authorities have rolled out a token-based gate system and switched to one-way movement.
Road subsidence between Joshimath and Vishnuprayag
A rough 10-km stretch between Joshimath and Vishnuprayag is slowing everyone down: ground subsidence from past years has left the road in pretty bad shape.
Chamoli SP Surjeet Singh Panwar says this has put extra pressure on an already crowded highway.
While waiting for their turn at the gates near Narsingh Temple, pilgrims can take a break and visit the holy temple.
Vehicles released in 30-minute batches
To keep things moving (at least a little), vehicles are being released every 30 minutes in batches.
Authorities are monitoring closely so that journeys to Badrinath Dham and Hemkund Sahib aren't completely halted during peak yatra season.