Thaindian News

Srinagar, July 3 (IANS) The Amarnath pilgrimage was again halted Sunday due to landslides and bad weather along the route to the Kashmir cave shrine. Pilgrims have been asked not to proceed towards the shrine as the Met office has predicted more rain and thundershowers in the region, a statement said.

The Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) that conducts the annual Hindu pilgrimage to the 13,500 ft high Himalayan cave shrine has advised pilgrims to remain at the places where they are presently stranded at.

“Reviewing the movement plan for the yatris for July 4, the chief executive officer of the SASB, R.K. Goyal, disclosed that the latest meteorological reports reaching the Shrine Board this evening indicate that very heavy rains are expected to lash the entire yatra area along Baltal and Pahalgam routes. Besides, snowfall in the higher mountains along the yatra routes is also expected,” a statement issued by the SASB said here.

“A decision about further movement of yatris from Jammu and the base camps at Baltal and Pahalgam (Nunwan) will be taken in the early hours of July 4 after assessing weather conditions.

“The CEO appealed to the yatris, who are stranded at various places, not to insist on any forward movement towards the holy shrine or the base camps,” it added.

So far, more than 50,000 devotees have visited the shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva since the pilgrimage began June 29.

Authorities are facing a serious challenge because of the arrivals of thousands of unregistered pilgrims every day, which has resulted in overcrowding at the base camps as well as the pilgrimage transit camps.