Srinagar: The pilgrimage to the cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas was today suspended from both the routes in view of inclement weather which also led to the closure of the vital Srinagar-Jammu National Highway. “The yatra has been suspended from both Baltal and Pahalgam routes due to rains which made the track slippery,” police said. No pilgrim would be allowed to move towards the holy cave shrine from either of the base camps till the weather improves. Heavy rainfalls since early morning triggered landslides at some places along the 300-km Srinagar-Jammu National Highway leading to its blockade.
No traffic, including yatra vehicles, are being allowed to proceed towards the Valley due to blockade of the highway, the police said. Traffic would be allowed only once the highway is cleared. Till now, 147441 pilgrims have paid obeisance at the 3880-meter high cave shrine. In Jammu, a police officer said, “The highway has been closed due to massive landslides at several places triggered by the overnight heavy rainfall.” He said no vehicle was allowed to move forward from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu. The men and machinery of the Border Road Organisation (BRO) has been working to restore the road connectivity between the two parts of the state. “We have been working to restore the road connectivity. Some passenger vehicles are stranded on the highway but none of them is carrying pilgrims,” he said.
