Amarnath Yatra Suspended From Tomorrow, A Week Before It Was To End

The annual Amarnath Yatra in Kashmir closed a week before it was to end. Officials cited adverse weather conditions and its impact on the yatra route as the reason for ending the Yatra prematurely.

While Yatra, which was to end on August 9 on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan, was suspended three days ago citing weather conditions, the administration today announced that yatra will not resume from tomorrow.

"Due to the recent heavy rains, critical repair and maintenance works are required on both the Baltal and Pahalgam routes. It has been observed that due to the continued deployment of men and machinery on the tracks from tomorrow, we will not be able to resume Yatra. The Yatra will therefore remain suspended from 3rd August onwards from both the routes," said Mr Vijay Kumar Bidhuri, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir.

According to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board, around 4 lakh pilgrims have paid obeisance at the holy cave this year even as the number of yatris have witnessed a sharp decline in last one week.

This year, the government made highest troop deployment for the Yatra in the wake of a major terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22. Besides an existing overwhelming security structure in Kashmir, about
600 additional companies of paramilitary forces were brought in for Yatra duty.

The discovery of the cave dates back to 1850 when Bota Malik, a Muslim shepherd is said to have found it with naturally formed ice stalagmite inside it. Since then, Malik family conducted the Yatra till 2005, when the Amarnath Shrine Board put an end to the age-old practice.

The Yatra has been symbol of Kashmir's syncretic culture. But over the last few years, strict security measures around Yatra have reduced the contact between local population and yatris. Locals say except those who are directly involved in Yatra, like horse handlers or palanquin bearers who carry Yatris to cave shrine, Yatris are confined to security enclosures.

Yatris are being transported in heavily guarded convoys from Jammu.

As part of the security protocol, during convoy movement along the Srinagar-Jammu highway or the road upto twin base camps of Pahalgam and Baltal, no civilian vehicles are allowed to move.