Articles by "Kailash-Mansarovar"
Pithoragarh, Jul 13: A spell of bad weather accompanied by rains and poor visibility has kept the seventh batch of 57 Kailash-Mansarovar pilgrims waiting here for the last six days to be airlifted to the Gunji basecamp.
The situation arose due to dense fog in Chiyalekh valley on way to Gunji.
The pilgrims were supposed to cross over to Tibet through the Lipulekh Pass tomorrow but are still waiting to be airlifted to Gunji, where they would need at least four days for acclimatisation and medical check-up before being cleared for their onward journey, a top official in the Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN) Ltd, the nodal agency for the Yatra in Pithoragarh, said today.
The agency will now have to seek a new date for the batch to crossover to China as the original schedule of July 14 is bound to be missed, he said.
"The Ministry of External Affairs has informed us that the new date of crossing over to Tibet from Lipulekh Pass for the 7th batch will be sought from the Chinese authorities once the batch gets airlifted to Gunji.
"We have to keep at least four days in hand for each batch after it reaches Gunji and before it crosses over to China, as we have to acclimatise the pilgrims to the high altitude weather before allowing them to go ahead," KMVN General Manager (Tourism) TS Martolia said.
The wait was on for the weather to clear so that IAF helicopters could undertake sorties from Pithoragarh to Gunji, he added.
The third and fourth batches have returned to Gunji after completion of the pilgrimage but are waiting to be airlifted to Pithoragarh, Martolia said.
"We have the eighth batch waiting at the Almora rest house of the Nigam," he said.
According to a weather office release, rainfall is likely to continue in Dharchula sub-division and the weather beyond Chiyalekh valley towards Gunji air base is still cloudy. (PTI)
New Delhi, Jul 3: Over 1,500 Indian pilgrims, undertaking Kailash Mansarovar yatra, have been stranded in mountainous region in Nepal near Tibet due to inclement weather and India has sought assistance from Kathmandu to evacuate them.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said about 525 pilgrims are stranded in Simikot, 550 in Hilsa and another 500 are stuck in Tibet side.
She said India has requested the Nepal government for army helicopters to evacuate stranded Indian nationals.
In a series of tweets, Swaraj said India has set up hotlines for pilgrims and their family members who will be provided information in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam languages.
The pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar in Tibetan region of China is considered holy by Hindus, Buddhists and Jains. Every year, hundreds of Indians undertake the 'yatra' which involves trekking under inhospitable conditions.
"Indian Embassy in Nepal has deployed representatives in Nepalganj and Simikot. They are in touch with the pilgrims and ensuring that food and lodging facilities are available to all the pilgrims," Swaraj said.
In Simikot, the minister said, a health check up has been carried out on all the elderly pilgrims and they are being provided required medical help.
"In Hilsa we have requested police authorities for necessary assistance," she said.
Sources said the Indian Embassy in Nepal have asked all tour operators to try and hold pilgrims back in Tibet side as far as possible since the medical and civic facilities on Nepal side are inadequate.
They said the mission is looking at various alternatives to evacuate the stranded people from Simikot, including through separate routes. (PTI)
Pithoragarh, June 20 : The first batch of Kailash-Mansarovar pilgrims crossed over to Tibet through the 17,500 feet high Lipulekh pass this morning, an official said.
The first batch had reached Gunji Base camp by trekking 33 km from Mangti, the last motorable station in two days.
Dharchula SDM RK Pandey said one member of the 58-member batch Ram Dayal Mali from Rajasthan had to return from Gunji after he was found unfit by ITBP doctors at the medical camp there on June 18.
According to ITBP sources, the batch left for Lipulekh pass at 3 am and crossed over at 7.50 am.
The second batch of pilgrims that has reached Gunji by IAF helicopters is on way to Nabhi Dhang, the official said. PTI
