After 6-day halt, Amarnath Yatra resumes

Srinagar, Jul 25: After remaining suspended for six days due to inclement weather, Amarnath Yatra resumed on Saturday with more than 4000 pilgrims paying obeisance at the holy cave shrine, while as Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha chaired a high-level meeting with camp directors and senior officials to review the ongoing repair and restoration work along the pilgrimage tracks in the wake of recent heavy rainfall.
According to reports, 4053 pilgrims and security personnel paid obeisance at the holy cave shrine today, taking the total number of pilgrims who have paid obeisance since the commencement of the Yatra on July 3 to 3,95,904.
Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Anshul Garg said that the pilgrimage will continue through the Baltal axis, while the Pahalgam axis has been temporarily closed to facilitate urgent repair and maintenance works following recent rainfall.
He said adequate arrangements have been put in place on the Baltal route to ensure the safe and smooth movement of pilgrims, while restoration work on the Pahalgam track is being carried out.
Officials said that a fresh batch of 6,269 pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu this morning for Baltal in 223 vehicles after authorities reviewed the weather and road conditions.
The convoy comprised 4,720 men, 1,458 women, 25 children, 54 sadhus and 12 sadhvis. With the latest batch, the total number of pilgrims who have departed from the Jammu base camp this year has reached 1,19,029.
Pertinently, the yatra was suspended on July 19, as a precautionary measure following persistent rainfall and adverse weather conditions across Jammu and Kashmir, especially along the twin routes — traditional 48-km Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the shorter 14-km Baltal route in Ganderbal district — to the 3,880-metre-high holy cave shrine, nestled in Himalayas.
It’s in place to mention here that Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha had flagged off the first batch of pilgrims from Bhagwati Nagar base camp on July 2, a day before the start of the annual pilgrimage in the valley.
The yatra is scheduled to conclude on August 28, coinciding with the festival of Raksha Bandhan.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha chaired a high-level meeting with Camp Directors and senior officials to review the ongoing repair and restoration work along the pilgrimage tracks in the wake of recent heavy rainfall.
The Lieutenant Governor assessed the damage on tracks, safety railings, and essential infrastructure and directed the executing agencies and officials to prioritize vulnerable zones prone to mudslides and shooting stones.
To ensure safety of pilgrims, the Lieutenant Governor directed the deployment of additional Mountain Rescue Teams (MRTs) and stressed the importance of sharing real-time weather updates with the Yatris proactively.
The Lieutenant Governor also instructed officials to ensure that essential services, including power, water supply, communication, and healthcare, remain fully operational.
The meeting was attended by Anshul Garg, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir; Rahul Singh, Additional CEO Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board; Amod Nagpure Ashok, SSP Anantnag; Dr. GV Sundeep Chakravarthy, SSP Srinagar; Dr. Bilal Mohi-ud-din Bhat, Deputy Commissioner, Anantnag; Akshay Labroo, Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar; Jatin Kishore, Deputy Commissioner Ganderbal; Sudhanshu Dhama, SSP Ganderbal; Camp Directors; senior officials of civil administration, Police, Army, Security forces, Shrine Board, BRO, Health, Meteorological and other line departments. (KNO)