This Article is From Sep 27, 2013

Uttarakhand: No visitors to Valley of Flowers this season

Uttarakhand: No visitors to Valley of Flowers this season

The June deluge swept away the bridge connecting the alpine meadow to the nearest town of Ghangaria.

Dehradun: On World Tourism Day, tourist haven Uttarakhand has little to celebrate. The incessant rain and flash floods in June has had its adverse effect on tourism industry in the state at large and three months on, there are only a few brave souls making it to Kedarnath, Gangotri and Badrinath - among the four holy places of Uttarakhand - which have been reopened for pilgrimage.

But other places like the Valley of Flowers - a World Heritage Site - still remain inaccessible. The June deluge swept away the bridge connecting the alpine meadow to the nearest town of Ghangaria.

"The bridge on the Pushpawati river was washed away in June and the road to the Valley of Flowers is completely damaged," R Rawat, Ranger, Valley of Flowers.

Those waiting for a glimpse of the alpine meadow will have to wait until the next season when the bridge will be functional again. But the good news is that there hasn't been much damage to the alpine meadow itself.

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