The pilgrimage to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine in Reasi district remains suspended for the seventh consecutive day on Monday due to persistent bad weather conditions and landslide-related disruptions continuing across the Jammu division.
The yatra was halted immediately after 36 pilgrims were killed when a landslide struck the Adhkuwari area on August 26. Among the dead were women and seven minors, officials had confirmed.
Officials from the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) said the suspension was extended to ensure the safety of pilgrims after a cloudburst-triggered landslide on August 26 claimed 36 lives and injured 18 others along the pilgrimage route.
The yatra, according to the board, was halted immediately after a bad weather alert was received at 12 noon on August 26, hours before the deadly landslide struck.
Several reports suggested that it was due to the negligence of the shrine board, which allowed the pilgrims to go ahead despite having a weather advisory in place.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration has constituted a three-member team to find out the causes behind the alleged incident.
While the shrine board has denied defying the weather advisories, saying the reports are misleading and that the board had already stopped processing further applications of the devotees.
Yet, reports indicate that the Jammu and Kashmir MeT Department had issued several advisories since August 14 in which it said there were high chances of landslides and flash floods in several mountainous regions, including Reasi.
The landslide had severely damaged the old track near Inderprastha Bhojanalaya, long considered a relatively safer stretch.
Debris clearance and restoration work are ongoing, but officials said the route would reopen only when conditions were fully secure.
Also Read: Landslide on Vaishno Devi route, 7 killed
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