Over 100 Stranded In Uttarakhand After Trolley Connecting Village Breaks

More than 100 people living in Chal village in Darma Valley of this Uttarakhand district were stranded and cut off from nearby areas after a trolley was washed away in the swollen Dhauli river due to heavy rains.

Pithoragarh District Magistrate Reena Joshi said the trolley connecting the village to the outside world was washed away in the heavy rain late on Thursday evening.

"The connection to the village has been cut off due to the trolley being washed away in the spate of the Dhauli river. But there has been no loss of life or property," he said.

A trolley was established on the Dhauli river for commuting to Chal village located at the other end of the Darma valley.

Dinesh Chalal, a resident of Chal village, said earlier there was an iron bridge for traffic here, which was washed away in the 2013 natural disaster, adding that the administration had installed a trolley to cross the river after that.

According to villagers, more than 25 people of the village are about to return after collecting Yarsa Gombu, a herb that grows in the high Himalayan region. Their lives may be in danger if they cross the swollen river without a trolley.

"If the trolley is not installed soon, the villagers will have to walk 20 kilometres upstream to reach the nearby Dharchula market using another bridge over the Dhauli river," Chalal said.

Administrative sources said the agency concerned has been asked to set up the trolley here in the next two days.

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