The road from Dehradun to Mussoorie remained closed on Wednesday, making it second consecutive day following cloudbursts and heavy rain. Around 2,500 tourist were stranded in Mussoorie after the road blocks at several spots. The heavy downpour has severely damaged the route and 13 people have been killed in rain-related incidents on Tuesday.
Similalry, other parts of the state were also affected amid torrential rains. Police appealed to tourists and visitors to stay wherever they were whether in hotel, homes or homestays as the Dehradun-Mussoorie route had been breached at several points. A police official told PTI, “Debris has been partially cleared from two points along the route, but installation of an alternative bridge at Kolhukhet may take a little more time.”
Longer route opens for light vehicle
The distance between Dehradun and Mussoorie by the usual route, which is broken at places, is just 35 km, while it is around 80 km by the alternative route via Vikasnagar. According to officials, an alternative Bailey bridge is being erected at Kolhukhet, and it is likely to become operational for light vehicles by Wednesday night.
Rahul Anand an IAS officer who is supervising the installation of the bridge in Kolhukhet, told PTI, that, “It will be completed in a couple of hours. We will then open the route for light vehicles. It will also help transport heavy machines like JCBs for clearing the rubble accumulated on the road beyond Kolhukhet,”
According to Rahul Anand at present, there are around 2,500 tourists stuck in Mussoorie due to the disruption of the route. He further mentioned that the number was much higher on Tuesday, but several tourists left Mussoorie on Wednesday via Vikasnagar, a longer route that had been blocked by landslides on Tuesday but was opened for traffic on Wednesday.
Hotel owners come to help
To assist tourists stranded in Mussoorie due to the closure of the Dehradun-Mussoorie road, the Mussoorie Hotel Owners’ Association offered a complimentary one-night stay on Tuesday as a gesture of goodwill, according to an official from association.
“That facility was just for one night on Tuesday,” stated Sanjay Aggarwal, president of the Mussoorie Hotel Owners’ Association. He added, “There is no complimentary stay facility in hotels in Mussoorie anymore. The road is also likely to be operational by late Wednesday, after which tourists can leave at their convenience.”
(With PTI Inputs)