After a six-day suspension due to adverse weather conditions, the pilgrimages to the cave shrines of Shri Amarnath in Kashmir and Mata Vaishno Devi in Katra, Reasi district, resumed this morning.
The annual Shri Amarnath Yatra resumed from Jammu on Saturday, with over 6,200 devotees leaving the Bhagwati Nagar base camp for Kashmir.
Officials said the 18th batch, comprising 6,269 pilgrims, including 1,470 women, 25 children and 54 sadhus, departed for the Baltal base camp in a convoy of 223 vehicles at around 3.00 a.m. under tight security arrangements.
No convoy was sent via the Pahalgam route, they added.
The yatra resumed after weather conditions improved and the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was reopened following a three-day closure caused by landslides and shooting stones at several locations along the Udhampur-Ramban stretch.
Mata Vaishno Devi Yatra resumes
Meanwhile, after being suspended for nearly a week due to bad weather and security concerns, the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Yatra also resumed on Saturday.
Following a partial improvement in the weather, the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board administration decided to resume the pilgrimage at around 7 a.m. As news of the resumption spread, pilgrims who had arrived in Katra from different parts of the country expressed enthusiasm, and a large number rushed to the pilgrimage registration centres to register.
However, due to safety concerns, the Shrine Board temporarily suspended the registration process for around one-and-a-half hours. Despite this, devotees remained patiently outside the registration centres.
After the rain subsided at around 10 a.m., the registration process resumed, and devotees, accompanied by their families, registered themselves and proceeded towards the cave shrine.
The Shrine Board has advised pilgrims to travel only via the traditional pilgrimage route for the time being. The Battery Car Route and Tarakote Route remain closed due to security concerns. Cleaning and necessary repairs are underway on both routes, and a decision on reopening them will be taken only after the weather returns to normal.
To ensure the safety of pilgrims, personnel from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Disaster Management Team, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Jammu and Kashmir Police, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Shrine Board have been deployed at various locations along the yatra route. The administration is continuously monitoring the weather conditions.
Reports said that around 2,000 pilgrims had registered and proceeded towards the shrine, while the registration process was still underway. According to sources, pilgrims will only be allowed to travel during the daytime until weather conditions return to normal. A decision on allowing nighttime travel will be taken after reviewing the situation.
The administration and the Shrine Board maintained that the safety of pilgrims remains the top priority and that the situation is being closely monitored.
The Shrine Board had suspended the pilgrimage to Mata Vaishno Devi last Saturday night due to bad weather and heavy rain. However, devotees continued to stay at the base camp in Katra, awaiting darshan at the holy shrine.
Traffic resumes on Jammu-Srinagar national highway
Traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH-44) resumed on Saturday after restoration agencies cleared landslide debris and shooting stones from multiple affected locations in Ramban district, restoring connectivity along the Kashmir Valley’s only all-weather road link with the rest of the country.
Officials said sustained restoration work following recent heavy rainfall enabled the reopening of the highway for vehicular movement. Clearance operations were carried out at vulnerable stretches where landslides and falling rocks had blocked the road.
According to the traffic plan, Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs), including private cars and passenger vehicles, are being allowed to ply in both directions between Jammu and Srinagar. Heavy Motor Vehicles (HMVs) and other load carriers are being regulated to move mainly from Udhampur towards Srinagar, subject to favourable weather and road conditions.
The reopening has brought relief to hundreds of stranded passengers and transporters whose journeys had been disrupted by the closure of the strategic highway.
Authorities said restoration work is continuing at vulnerable locations to ensure safe movement and prevent further disruptions.
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