Pilgrims were stranded in several places along the Jammu and Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, including Chandekot, which was damaged by multiple landslides and washed out parts of the road near the Pantiyar Tunnel. closure.
Release date – Sunday 23 July 06:00
Jammu/Srinagar: The Amarnath pilgrimage was suspended for a second day in a row on Saturday due to persistent rains and landslides, leaving thousands of pilgrims stranded at various points in Jammu and en route to the cave holy site.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh assured the pilgrims that senior officials were monitoring the situation and asked them not to panic and to follow directions issued by the authorities from time to time.
Much of Jammu and Kashmir has been hit by torrential rains since late Thursday, with snow falling in several high-altitude areas, including the Mahagaon summit and neighboring areas near the Amarnath cave shrine. In July, some places saw record rainfall in a 24-hour period.
“Operations of the Yatra on the Pahagam and Baltar routes have been suspended for the second consecutive day due to bad weather,” an official said.
“Given the suspension of pilgrimage in the valley and bad weather, the new batch of pilgrims was not allowed to leave the Bhagwathi Nagar base camp this morning,” a police officer told the Press Trust of India.
Jammu District Commissioner Ramesh Kumar said nearly 15,000 pilgrims were stranded in Jammu district and directed deputy commissioners in five districts to increase accommodation capacity and activate emergency operations centers (EOCs).
The “yatri niwas” in Jammu and Ramban districts each house about 6,000 people, Samba district 1,200, Katua district 1,100 and Udanpur district 600.
Token registration and distribution for Yatra will also be suspended for the second day on Sunday, a spokesperson said.
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said Atelier’s security was paramount and all arrangements were in place. “Yatra is reviewed twice a day. We report by the hour. I hope the weather improves from tomorrow so that Yatra can start again,” he told reporters.
The Meteorological Department expects widespread light to moderate rain with thundershowers in Jammu and Kashmir by Sunday due to monsoon and western disturbance.
The 62-day annual pilgrimage began on July 1 from Pahagam in the Anantnagar district and Baltar in the Gandhbar district on the dual track to the holy site at an altitude of 3,888 meters in the southern Himalayas of Kashmir. The pilgrimage is expected to end on Aug. 31.
Up to now, more than 80,000 pilgrims have visited Shengdong Shrine.
Pilgrims not bothered by delays
Pilgrims were stranded in Jammu and along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, including Chanderkot. The highway was closed due to multiple landslides and washed out parts of the road near the Pantial Tunnel.
But the bad weather did not dampen the enthusiasm of believers.
Deepu, a resident of Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh, told the Press Trust of India (PTI) at his base camp in Bhagwati Nagar: “I have to go to the valley today (Saturday) for the pilgrimage, but the highway Closed, combined with the weather, it is impossible to move forward.”
Di Pu, who was traveling with several friends, said they would wait for the weather to clear and complete their pilgrimage. “We came here on the call of ‘Baba Bafani’ and we will not go back unless we do a darshan,” he said.
Manisha, a Madhya Pradesh resident, said she came with a lot of hope and prayers and would not consider going home until next week.
Believers were also stopped at Baltar and Nuwan strongholds. A landslide occurred on the Baltal route of the Yatra circuit after heavy rains in the area.
However, there were no reports of any casualties.
Officials said the pilgrimage would resume once the weather improved.
Ghaziabad (UP) resident Suraj Sharma said he was satisfied with the arrangements made by the local government for pilgrims from the base camp. “We have set out for Hajj and even if we have to wait a month, we will complete it,” he said. On Friday, a group of 4,600 pilgrims was stopped at Chandekot along the national road in Ramban district to avoid crowding. Pahalgam base camp after a temporary cessation of the Yatra.
Shyam Sahu, a Maharashtra resident and one of more than 6,000 devotees in Chanderkote, said he had been preparing for the pilgrimage for the past few years.
“We’ve been parked here since Friday afternoon, waiting for permission to move on. We haven’t had any problems because the government has made all the arrangements for our boarding, loading and security,” Sahu said.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh addresses officials
Union Minister Jitendra Singh said senior officials were closely monitoring the situation and adequate arrangements had been made at the scene.
“…as soon as the weather improves even slightly, we will try to evacuate the stranded Yatris. We have been in constant contact with the authorities.
“I have personally spoken to Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi, Army Commander, Northern Command, and Dr. Mandeep Bhandari, Chief Executive Officer, Amarnath Shrine Board. The two senior officials are personally monitoring the situation, ’ the Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office tweeted.
He said the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) and SDRF had already started work. “Please Atreus do not panic and follow the instructions issued by the authorities from time to time,” the minister added.
The Yatra was suspended on Friday due to widespread rain, especially on the dual track lines, namely the traditional 48km Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the 14km Baltal route in Ganderbal district.
“The pilgrimage has been stopped and cannot be held in this weather,” LG said.
Asked about the status of the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway and the frequent interruptions due to bad weather, Sinha said the highway will be free of traffic when the last tunnel is completed and operational.
“Part of the road near the tunnel collapsed due to heavy rain. An alternative road (which was there earlier) has been prepared through which the yatris will move.
“I made an assessment in the afternoon and once the weather conditions improve we will build a Bailey Bridge within the next three days and allow the LMV to pass. A permanent solution will only come when the tunnel is ready,” he said.
The Jammu Ramesh Kumar Divisional Commissioner directed the Deputy Commissioner to ensure uninterrupted water and electricity supply to the guest houses where the pilgrims are staying, the spokesman added. He also directed the district councils to ensure that the EOC operates round-the-clock in all districts.
The spokesman said the district council was told to visit accommodation centers to monitor the availability of facilities to avoid any inconvenience to pilgrims.
He said the departmental commissioner had also reviewed the condition of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway and had directed Deputy Commissioner Ramban and National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) project director to mobilize sufficient manpower and machinery for the early restoration of the road.
Kumar also asked the district council to allow pilgrims who want to visit local shrines, temples
and tourist destinations in the areas where they live.
Meteorological Department: More rain likely in coming days
The Meteorological Department said that intermittent light to moderate rain may continue in most parts of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday, and heavy to heavy showers may occur in some remote areas of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Met Office said that from July 10 to 14, the weather may remain cloudy, with intermittent thunderstorms in a few places in the evening or early morning.
Officials said the weather system could temporarily disrupt surface traffic on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, Mughal Highway, Srinagar-Leh Highway and other major mountain roads.
Governments in several regions have issued warnings to people to exercise caution and set up control rooms as a precaution.
All pilgrims are safe and are sheltering at stops along the way, officials said, adding that the pilgrimage will resume when the weather improves.
security forces on alert
Meanwhile, the army is conducting daily area control patrols along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, using drones, surveillance equipment and sniffer dogs, to ensure the safety of Amarnath pilgrims, officials said on Saturday. pass.
They said the drills on the highway were an integral part of the multiple safety grid responsible for facilitating the smooth and incident-free 62-day pilgrimage from July 1.
“Army conducts intensive area control patrols along the entire pilgrimage route from Jammu to Banihar and beyond to provide security for pilgrims,” a senior security official told the Press Trust of India.
They added that Army Group North and corps commanders oversee security arrangements and regularly assess the situation on the ground.
The Amarnath pilgrimage draws devotees from around the world and contributes significantly to the local economy, benefiting small villages along the route as well as larger towns in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.
