Uttarakhand: Char Dham Yatra temporarily suspended due to heavy rain forecast

Dehradun, July 7 (IANS) The ongoing Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand will remain suspended on Sunday due to the heavy rain alert issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) for July 7-8.Garhwal Divisional Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey issued an order in this regard late Saturday and urged pilgrims en route to the temples to avoid proceeding further and stay where they are.He appealed to pilgrims not to travel beyond Rishikesh in view of the weather department’s heavy rain forecast and landslides on various routes. Pilgrims have been advised to proceed further only when the weather is clear.The IMD on Saturday issued an alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall in all the districts of Uttarakhand on Sunday and Monday. –IANSsmita/sha