Mussoorie, Aug. 31 -- After the water level of the Alaknanda river rose and hovered dangerously close to the shrine, the community of priests attached to the Dhari Devi temple near Srinagar in Pauri district of Uttarakhand, demanded a long-term protection plan for the shrine. Officials, familiar with the matter, said the river water also reached the Badrinath National Highway near Mini Goa Beach, about a kilometre ahead of Kaliyasaur, causing waterlogging. As a precaution, police stopped vehicular movement, holding Srinagar-bound traffic at Farasu and Kaliyasaur. Shops along the temple route were also closed as water inched closer. "The river touched 535.80 metres, just below the danger mark, triggering panic among priests and residents as it brought back memories of the 2013 disaster," said temple trust president Jagdamba Prasad Pandey. He blamed the sudden rise on the Alaknanda Hydro Power Project company for "closing the gates of its reservoir to maximise power generation" and releasing water in a delayed manner. Uttarakhand Cabinet minister Dhan Singh Rawat met members of the temple committee, who demanded a long-term protection plan for the shrine. Rawat directed district magistrate Swati Bhadauria and disaster management officials to convene a joint meeting with the committee, priests and IIT-Roorkee experts to devise a safety blueprint. He also instructed the irrigation department to prepare a proposal for a protective wall along the bridge near the temple. SP Sati, a geologist at Ranichauri Agriculture University, questioned the dam's operations, alleging that the power company had "increased the height of the dam without prior permission and acquired approvals later." Social activist Mukesh Semwal said heavy rainfall and cloudbursts in upper areas had pushed the Alaknanda, Bhagirathi and Mandakini river water above danger levels, threatening the Devprayag confluence downstream. "The sudden release of water by the hydropower company after the alarm was raised worsened the situation," he said. According to the district emergency operation centre in Pauri Garhwal, the Alaknanda river, with a danger mark of 536 metres, was flowing at 533.90 metres on Saturday, recording a slight dip. Central Water Commission (CWC) data recorded its level at 533.60 metres at 4 pm....