Jammu and Kashmir: Amarnath Yatra suspended again due to inclement weather

The annual Amarnath Yatra was suspended once again on Friday due to inclement weather in Jammu and Kashmir.

Heavy rainfall triggered multiple landslides along the Baltal route, reported PTI. A police official said the Kali Mata Track has been damaged due to landslides. “Restoration work is going on but a slight drizzle is hampering it,” the official told the news agency.

The third batch of pilgrims, who left from Bhagwati Nagar base camp on Friday morning, has been asked to return as movement along the Pahalgam route had to be stalled because of bad weather. More than 2,800 pilgrims returned from Chandanwari, about 15 kms from Pahalgam, reported NDTV. “No pilgrim was allowed to move towards the cave shrine because of rain and slippery conditions along the two treks,” an official said.

Over two lakh people have registered to undertake the pilgrimage to the cave shrine of Amarnath, which lies at an altitude of 3,880 metres in South Kashmir. The pilgrimage will take place between June 28 and August 26.

The yatra had resumed on Thursday afternoon along the Baltal and Pahalgam routes after it was stalled because of heavy rainfall in parts of Jammu and Kashmir. Authorities first allowed pilgrims to move towards the cave shrine from North Kashmir’s Baltal base camp. A Shri Amarnath Shrine Board spokesperson later said 59 pilgrims were allowed to proceed along the Pahalgam route too.

The India Meteorological Department on Wednesday said some regions in the state will have cloudy weather for at least two days. A weather advisory will be issued every three hours by the Met department. “Yatra control rooms have been established in Nunwan and Baltal base camp and the pilgrims will only be allowed to proceed towards the cave shrine after obtaining the latest weather update from the meteorological stations set up at the base camps,” an unidentified official had said.