Jammu Amarnath Yatra remains suspended for the 4th day

Jammu Latest Updates: The Amarnath Yatra in Jammu has been halted for the fourth day in a row due to the closure of the Jammu-Srinagar national highway. The closure is a result of extensive damage to the highway, especially in the Ramban district, caused by continuous and heavy rainfall. This has left approximately 15,000 pilgrims stranded in Jammu and other locations.

Despite the suspension of the yatra, the pilgrims remain determined and optimistic about their visit to the Amarnath cave shrine, even if it means waiting for several days.

A senior official mentioned that the yatra has not yet resumed from Jammu, as no fresh batches were allowed to proceed towards Kashmir on Tuesday due to the highway closure.

Although there has been some improvement in the road conditions through the joint efforts of the administration and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), complete restoration is expected to take more time. As a result, the traffic on the highway will remain suspended on Tuesday as well, as decided by the administration.

Officials reported that around 8,000 pilgrims are stranded at the Bhagwatinagar base camp in Jammu, while approximately 6,000 pilgrims are stranded at the Chanderkot base camp in Ramban district. Additionally, nearly 2,000 pilgrims are stranded at the Kathua and Samba camps. Despite the challenges, more pilgrims continue to arrive in Jammu for their onward journey to Amarnath, with many being accommodated in various lodging centers.

The Divisional Commissioner and deputy commissioners are closely monitoring the situation and taking necessary steps to ensure that the stranded pilgrims face minimal difficulties.

Once the highway is fully repaired, Divisional Commissioner Kumar has stated that the Amarnath Yatra will resume from Jammu. However, heavy rainfall and adverse weather conditions led to the suspension of the annual pilgrimage from the Pahalgam and Baltal base camps in Kashmir. Fortunately, the yatra resumed on Sunday after the weather improved.

The Jammu-Srinagar highway, spanning 250 kilometers, is the sole all-weather road connecting Kashmir with the rest of the country. Unfortunately, sections of the highway were washed away in floods caused by the heavy rain over the weekend. The Ramban district administration is actively working to restore traffic on the highway, where approximately 5,000 vehicles are currently stranded between Ramban and Lakhanpur.

The 62-day annual pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave shrine, situated at an elevation of 3,888 meters in the South Kashmir Himalayas, commenced on July 1. Since June 30, a total of 43,833 pilgrims have embarked on the journey to the cave shrine from the Jammu base camp in seven groups. The pilgrimage is scheduled to conclude on August 31.