INDIA, September 1, 2014 (Daily Mail): Poor preparation and bad weather saved the Uttarakhand government a catastrophe as it forced a major chunk of pilgrims to abandon the Nanda Devi Raj Jat Yatra midway at Bedni in the Chamoli district.
Monday saw over 50,000 pilgrims return, while only 8,000 opted to undertake the arduous trek for Patar Nachoniya, located at an altitude of 12,000 feet above sea level.
Mohan Singh, a native of Tharali said: “I had passed the medical test but I decided to return after the heavy rainfall. We stayed in the open under our umbrella after a wet Sunday night.” “The state government makes huge claims of elaborated arrangements in television commercials but on ground nothing exists,” said another villager.
The Yatra is hosted every twelfth year and is presently underway in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district. “The number is now manageable and I am thankful to people for accepting my appeal to withdraw their Yatra. They retreated on their own,” said Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat.