Dehradun

The Char Dham Yatra has been suspended for Saturday and Sunday in view of the 'red' and 'orange' alerts for rain issued by the meteorological department for most districts of Uttarakhand, officials said.

Garhwal Commissioner Anand Swaroop has issued a letter to all district magistrates in this regard.

The letter stated that, based on the forecast issued by the meteorological department and considering the safety of pilgrims arriving from across the country and abroad, the Char Dham Yatra has been suspended from Saturday afternoon until Sunday due to the 'red' alert for rain.

The Commissioner has directed all district magistrates to take necessary action in their respective districts regarding this matter. The letter mentioned that the Yatra will resume once the weather conditions normalise.

The meteorological department has issued 'red' and 'orange' alerts for rain in various districts of Uttarakhand for September 26 and 27.

For Saturday, a 'red' alert for heavy rain has been issued for five districts—Bageshwar, Pithoragarh, Champawat, Nainital, and Udham Singh Nagar; an 'orange' alert for five other districts—Dehradun, Pauri, Rudraprayag, Chamoli, and Almora; and a 'yellow' alert for the remaining three districts—Haridwar, Uttarkashi, and Tehri.

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Similarly, for Sunday, a 'red' alert has been issued for four districts—Dehradun, Tehri, Pauri, and Haridwar; an 'orange' alert for four other districts—Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Nainital, and Rudraprayag; and a 'yellow' alert for the remaining five districts—Bageshwar, Almora, Champawat, Udham Singh Nagar, and Pithoragarh.