Rudraprayag District Magistrate said the movement of the Congress leaders is disallowed because the retinue has to return by air in a helicopter and the weather conditions are unfavourable. (File Photo) Rudraprayag District Magistrate said the movement of the Congress leaders is disallowed because the retinue has to return by air in a helicopter and the weather conditions are unfavourable. (File Photo)

The temporary halt of all travelling services to Kedarnath owing to relentless snowfall since Monday night has left former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat stranded at the shrine. Rawat and his retinue of Congress leaders comprising Rajya Sabha MP Pradeep Tamta and local MLA Manoj Rawat are stuck at Kedarnath due to unfavourable weather conditions, Rudraprayag District Magistrate Mangesh Ghildiyal informed news agency PTI.

Gildyal also said that the movement of the Congress leaders is disallowed as the retinue has to return by air in a helicopter.

The heavy snowfall disrupted the travel itineraries of numerous tourists and has forced authorities to bar the tourists from travelling beyond Linchauli and Bhimbali.

The stranded devotees have been instructed to wait at halts like Bhimbali and Linchauli and avoid travel until the weather conditions improve in the affected area, the DM added. It is also reported that a layer of snow measuring around two to three inches has accumulated around the Kedarnath shrine presently.

The former Uttarakhand CM, along with accompanying Congress leaders, commenced his journey to Kedarnath on Sunday to visit the holy site as well as to examine the ruling BJP’s claims about the Kedarpuri reconstruction work.

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