SAROOR
Srinagar, Aug 02: The authorities on Saturday suspended this year’s annual Amarnath Yatra, just a week before its scheduled conclusion, due to the need for maintenance on the tracks that were damaged by the recent heavy rainfall.
More than 6,000 pilgrims paid obeisance to Lord Shiva at the holy cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas on the final day of this year’s annual Amarnath Yatra, taking the total number of yatris to 4.14 lakh.
The last year saw more than 5.10 lakh pilgrims pay their respects at the shrine.
The yatra, which began on July 3, was scheduled to conclude on August 9 on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan. However, authorities decided to shorten it by a week, citing “critical repair and maintenance works” to be undertaken in the wake of the heavy rainfall.
“Due to recent heavy rainfall and the need for track maintenance along both the Baltal and Pahalgam axes of the Shri Amarnathji Yatra route, the yatra movement has been closed on both the tracks,” Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Vijay Kumar Bidhuri, said here.
“It has been observed that due to the continued deployment of men and machinery on the tracks from tomorrow, we would not be able to resume the yatra. The yatra will therefore remain suspended from 3rd August onwards from both the routes,” he explained further.
A total of 6,497 pilgrims had darshan at the 3,800-metre-high holy cave shrine on Saturday, the officials said. They said the yatris included 4,586 males, 1,299 females, 62 children, 51 sadhus, five sadhvis and 494 security forces personnel.
So far, 4,14,311 yatris have visited the cave shrine since the yatra started on July 3, the officials added.
The authorities on Saturday suspended this year’s annual Amarnath Yatra, just a week before its scheduled conclusion, due to the need for maintenance on the tracks that were damaged by the recent heavy rainfall.
The yatra was scheduled to conclude on August 9 on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan. However, authorities decided to shorten it by a week, citing “critical repair and maintenance works” to be undertaken in the wake of the heavy rainfall.
