YATRA REMAINS SUSPENDED

The Amarnath Yatra remained suspended on both Pahalgam and Baltal routes due to bad weather. The decision was taken in view of Pilgrims’ safety, said an official.

ONLY 2,294 PILGRIMS HAVE MANAGED TO PAY OBEISANCE SINCE THE BEGINNING OF YATRA ON THURSDAY; 10,000 REMAIN STRANDED AT THE TWIN BASE CAMPS IN SRINAGAR

JAMMU : The ongoing Amarnath Yatra from Jammu was suspended due to weather concerns on Saturday, with no fresh batch of pilgrims being allowed to trek towards the Himalayan cave shrine of Lord Shiva through either the Pahalgam or Baltal routes.

Only 2,294 pilgrims have managed to perform the darshan since the beginning of the yatra on Thursday, even as 10,000 remain stranded at the twin base camps in Srinagar.

Officials said incessant rainfall has made both the yatra tracks slippery, and the Baltal route was even damaged in several places. The Jammu-srinagar national highway also witnessed multiple landslides during this period.

Meanwhile, a batch of 2,032 pilgrims that left for the shrine through the Pahalgam route on Friday morning remained stuck at Udhampur – located about 65 km from Jammu – for an extended period of time. They set off on their onward journey only on Saturday morning, after spending the night at Udhampur.

However, the rainfall has stopped for now, and even the meteorological department has predicted dry weather for the next two days.

Meanwhile, around 5,000 pilgrims are camping in Jammu. While 1,500 are lodged at the Bhagwati Nagar base camp, the rest are staying in community halls. The Jammu district administration has made arrangements for their lodging and boarding here. Jammu additional deputy commissioner Arun Manhas confirmed that the pilgrimage has been halted for now. “Due to inclement weather and bad condition of the Baltal and Pahalgam routes, the Amarnath yatra has been suspended,” he said.

When asked if it was possible for the yatra to resume in the later hours, Manhas said: “It can happen on Sunday morning, provided the weather improves.”