Amarnath Yatra resumes after brief suspension

Srinagar : After remaining suspended for a day due to inclement weather and slippery track conditions, the Amarnath Yatra resumed on Friday morning on both the Baltal and Pahalgam routes, officials told the news agency.

They said hundreds of pilgrims were allowed to proceed towards the holy cave shrine, nestled in Himalayas, for darshan.

Pertinently, no pilgrim was allowed to move from either of the twin base camps towards the cave shrine on Thursday as a precautionary measure.

“Continuous rainfall had triggered landslides and rendered the trekking paths unsafe, prompting authorities to temporarily halt the pilgrimage.
Restoration work was immediately undertaken to repair the affected stretches and ensure the safety of pilgrims,” an official said, adding that rescue teams and the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) worked tirelessly to make the tracks travel-worthy.

With improved weather conditions and clearance from the concerned agencies, the yatra resumed today from both the Nunwan (Pahalgam) and Baltal base camps this morning, the officials added.

According to official figures, over 2.56 lakh pilgrims have performed darshan of the naturally formed Ice Lingam at the holy cave shrine during the first 15 days of this year’s yatra.

Meanwhile, the 16th batch of 7,908 Amarnath Yatris left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu on Friday morning amid tight security arrangements.

Officials said the pilgrims departed in a convoy of 261 vehicles, heading towards the twin base camps.

The batch comprised 5,957 males, 1,613 females, 26 children, 290 sadhus, and 22 sadhvis.

The convoy included 170 buses, 22 medium motor vehicles (MMVs) and 69 light motor vehicles (LMVs)—(KNO)