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11,282 pilgrims pay obeisance
KT NEWS SERVICE. Dated: 7/9/2018 1:48:13 PM
No batch leaves from Jammu
SRINAGAR/JAMMU, Jul 8: The Amarnath yatra on the 11th day proceeded smoothly on both the Pahalgam as well as the Baltal routes on Sunday. The helicopter service also operated from both the routes. However, Yatra from Jammu remained suspended.
“No yatri was allowed to move from Bhagwati Nagar base camp and those who have arrived in the winter capital and heading for Kashmir on their own were also stopped at various places along the Jammu-Srinagar national highway," a government official said.
He said the step was taken as a precautionary measure in view of the separatist sponsored strike on the second death anniversary of Wani.
In the meanwhile, a 45-year old seriously ill pilgrim namely Gauri Shankar of Gujarat was immediately airlifted by the shrine Board from the base camp Baltal to the SKIMS, Srinagar for further specialized treatment.
On the 11th day of ongoing Shri Amarnathji Yatra 11,282 pilgrims paid obeisance at holy cave and till date 94,412 pilgrims had the darshan of the Shivling at the holy cave.
While reviewing the follow up of the directions issued by Governor N N Vohra in his July 6 meeting convened for providing immediate relief to stranded passengers at Panjtarni, it was informed by Umang Narula CEO of the Shrine Board that Micro ATM of J&K Bank distributed more than Rs 3.62 lakh cash since yesterday to pilgrims at Panjtarni and work of putting wire mesh at vulnerable spots between Railpathri and Brarimarg was progressing at desired pace.
Earlier on Saturday, the Director General of Police Dr S P Vaid, during a visit to Kathua district to review arrangements for Amarnath pilgrims, had announced suspension of the ongoing Amarnath yatra for Sunday, in view of the strike call given by separatists to mark the second death anniversary of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani.
The 60-day annual yatra to the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas began on June 28 and faced many disruptions due to inclement weather. Till last evening, as many as 83,130 Yatris had paid obeisance at the cave shrine, housing the naturally formed ice-Shivlingam.
The officials said that over 20,000 pilgrims who reached here from various parts of the country to undertake the yatra were left stranded for the past several days. However, authorities made adequate arrangements including boarding and lodging for them at various camps, they said.
A traffic police official in the highway township of Ramban said over 2,000 tourists including yatris were stopped from proceeding to Kashmir from Jammu last evening. “The traffic on highway was suspended due to situation in the Valley. No vehicle was allowed to move from Jammu towards Srinagar since this morning,” he said.
The officer said security forces were deployed in strength in Banihal town along the highway, the only all-weather over 260-km-long road linking Kashmir with rest of the country, which observed a shutdown in response to the separatist sponsored strike call.
A traffic spokesman in Jammu said the traffic was also suspended on Mughal Road, an alternate link connecting the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri in Jammu region with Shopian district in south Kashmir, as a precautionary measure.