Due to incessant rainfall and the need for better management of the tracks along the Pahalgam and Baltal axes of the Amarnath route, the authorities have decided to close down movement on both tracks.
Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar Bidhuri, said, “Due to the recent heavy rains, critical repair and maintenance works are required on both the Baltal and Pahalgam routes. It has been observed that due to the continued deployment of men and machinery on the tracks from tomorrow, we will not be able to resume the yatra.”
No fresh batch of yatris was allowed to proceed ahead to the Amarnath shrine due to incessant rains and bad weather, officials said.
The pilgrims who came from the different parts of the country are being housed in a maximum security Bhagwati Nagar base camp for their further journey to the twin base camps of Pahalgam and Baltal after reviewing the weather situation.
So far, over 4.10 lakh yatris have performed darshan at the holy cave shrine in South Kashmir since the commencement of the yatra on July 3.
An official informed reporters that “The yatra to the cave shrine from Jammu remained suspended till August 3 due to ongoing repair work at the tracks.” “No fresh batch was allowed from Jammu towards Amarnath,” he said.
The yatra this year has been relatively peaceful and smooth, under tight security arrangements by the administration, especially after the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22.
This marks the second instance when the yatra has been suspended from Jammu. On July 17, the yatra was called off due to heavy rains at the twin base camps in Kashmir.
A total of 144,124 pilgrims have left from the Jammu base camp for the Valley since July 2, when Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha flagged off the yatra.
Last year, more than 5.10 lakh pilgrims paid obeisance at the cave shrine, which houses a naturally formed ice lingam. The pilgrimage is scheduled to end on August 9, coinciding with the Raksha Bandhan festival.
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