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| Yatra suspended in Jammu, decision on traditional route is expected today | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, June 24: As huge rush of pilgrims accumulates at the Baltal base camp of Amarnath shrine in South Kashmir Himalayas, no fresh batch was allowed to proceed from the transit camp in Jammu.
Meanwhile, hundreds of pilgrims at Nunwan-Pahalgam base today resorted to protests and demonstrations against government and the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board for delay in commencing the pilgrimage from this route even as a two committees framed by the board today submitted their assessment report for a final decision on pilgrimage through traditional route.
Owing to large number of devotees stranded at transit base camp at Baltal, Amarnath yatra has been suspended on Wednesday from Jammu base camp. "No batch was allowed to Baltal base camp from here today. The yatra was suspended as there is a heavy rush of stranded devotees at Baltal," police officials at Jammu said adding over 15,000 pilgrims are stranded at the transit camp.
Over 2,700 pilgrims have been left waiting for resumption of the yatra at Jammu base camp in Bhagwati Nagar due to the suspension. While, Jammu base camp facilitates boarding and lodging for over 20,000 pilgrims at a time, Baltal and Nunwan can house over 5,000 pilgrims at a time. Till now, nearly 70,000 pilgrims have paid obeisance at the 3888 mt Amarnath cave shrine.
Reports coming in from Kashmir said that hundreds of yatris assembled outside the Nunwan base camp in Pahalgam and staged protests against the administration and SASB. The yatris chanting slogans against the state government demanded that the traditional Pahalgam route may be opened for the yatra and the yatris be allowed to perform the pilgrimage through this route. Reports said that the yatris later blocked the Anantnag-Pahalgam road pressing for their demands of allowing the yatra through the Pahalgam route.
Sources said that following the protests the Deputy Commissioner Anantnag along with senior police officers arrived on the spot and pacified the yatris. The officials assured them that the SASB is taking a final view of the route and the decision to open the track will be taken immediately after that.
Meanwhile, the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) will take the final decision on the commencement of pilgrimage to the holy Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir tomorrow. Keeping in view the condition of the track and other difficulties, a Joint Team after visiting the critical stretches on the traditional Pahalgam track this afternoon, advised that only a limited number of Yatris, who are physically fit, should be allowed to undertake the pilgrimage through this track.
The Joint Team has submitted its report to the Chairman SASB, who will most likely to announce tomorrow the Boards' decision on the date from which the Yatra would commence from Pahalgam route.
The Team and SASB said when the track would be put through only for physically fit yatris, who follow the advisories on clothing, the yatra should be allowed from Pahalgam. The Team also stressed the need for creating adequate awareness among the pilgrims about the weather and track conditions so that they come fully prepared to undertake the Yatra. The old and children will be advised not to undertake the Yatra, in the interest of their safety and security.
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