- Over 4 lakh Amarnath pilgrims completed Yatra; 19th batch dispatched.
- Pahalgam closed for essential repairs.
- .Jammu-Srinagar Highway briefly blocked by landslide, now clear.
Jagran Correspondent | Jammu: Nearly four hundred thousand pilgrims went to the Amarnath Yatra in the past few days. During the early hours of Sunday, a group of 4,474 pilgrims departed for the Amarnath temple visit from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp. This was the 19th batch of tourists who left for Baltal base camp in a convoy of 144 vehicles at around 2.44 am.
No pilgrims were sent from the Pahalgam route, which was damaged due to relentless rainfall in the area. Authorities are carrying out repair work in the area. Currently, the tourists are travelling via the Baltal route. Kashmir Divisional Commissioner Anshul Garg stated that the pilgrimage will continue via the Baltal route until necessary repairs are completed on the Pahalgam route.
“Due to the recent rains, urgent repair and maintenance works are required to be carried out on the Pahalgam Axis of Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra. The Yatra shall continue through the Baltal Axis, for which adequate arrangements have been put in place to ensure a smooth and safe pilgrimage. Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Anshul Garg had said on Saturday.
Garg appealed to the pilgrims to follow the guidelines while travelling via the Baltal route. The 57-day Shri Amarnath Yatra, which began on July 3 and will end on August 28. Inclement weather patterns have acted as a hindrance during the stay of the pilgrims.
ALSO READ: Hours After Amarnath, Vaishno Devi Yatra Temporarily Suspended Amid Inclement Weather Alert
Jammu-Srinagar Highway Closed
A massive landslide has hit the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country, at Gangroo in the Ramsoo area of Ramban district on Saturday. The incident had taken place hours after the highway reopened to vehicular traffic. The opening came after a three-day closure caused by multiple landslides amid continuous rainfall and the accumulation of debris.
However, the road restoration agencies quickly called officials, ensuring that the 250-km highway was cleared and reopened to traffic within a few hours.