Srinagar, July 9: The annual Amarnath Yatra has been suspended for the third consecutive day on Sunday due to unfavorable weather conditions in Jammu and Kashmir. Authorities halted a batch of devotees at the Jammu Base camp as the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway remained closed.
As a result of the Yatra suspension, approximately 6,000 Amarnath Yatra pilgrims were stranded at Ramban, officials reported. Adverse weather conditions also trapped around 80 people from Karnataka in Panchtarni, six kilometers away from the Amarnath cave.
Deputy Commissioner Ramban, Mussarat Islam, assured that the administration is taking all necessary steps to ensure the well-being of the stranded pilgrims. He stated, “The Amarnath Yatra was suspended yesterday following inclement weather… We have all the facilities available here at the ‘yatri niwas’ for the pilgrims. We are taking all possible steps to ensure that the pilgrims don’t face any problems.”
The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH44) remained closed for vehicular traffic at Ramban due to a landslide, according to officials.
Since the beginning of the Yatra on July 1, a total of 67,566 pilgrims have visited the Amarnath cave shrine. On July 5, 18,354 pilgrims performed the darshan, departing from both the Baltal base camp and Nunwan base camp.
The official spokesperson emphasized that state agencies and civil departments are providing assistance and making essential facilities available to the devotees during their entire journey. Various departments, including the police, SDRF, army, paramilitary, health, and education, have deployed their personnel and resources to meet the requirements of the pilgrims.
The 62-day-long Shri Amarnath Yatra is scheduled to conclude on August 31, 2023.
