Now that the weather is improving, officials have completed their safety checks and allowed devotees to continue their journey. Pilgrims leaving from the Jammu base camp can currently travel only through the Baltal route, which has been declared safe for movement. The Pahalgam route, on the other hand, remains closed as bad weather has continued to affect that stretch.
Officials are still monitoring the weather and road conditions to ensure the journey remains safe for everyone. Pilgrims have also been advised to follow all official instructions during the Yatra.
According to PTI, the weather had made both the 48 km Pahalgam route in Anantnag and the 14 km Baltal route in Ganderbal unsafe for the pilgrims travelling to the 3880-metre high Amarnath cave. After conditions improved, the 18th batch of 6,269 pilgrims, including 1,470 women, 25 children and 54 sadhus, left for the Baltal base camp. The convoy, including 223 vehicles, started its journey at around 2:40 am under tight security.
This year’s Amarnath Yatra is scheduled to end on August 28, on Raksha Bandhan. So far, nearly four lakh devotees have visited the holy cave. Out of them, around 1.2 lakh pilgrims started their journey from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu.
Continuous heavy rain has also forced the temporary closure of the Doda Pul Doda Road, Pul Doda Ghat GMC Road and several other link roads.
According to Doda Deputy Commissioner Krishan Lal, the administration is looking at the situation as rivers and streams in the district are flowing at very high levels. As a safety measure, people living near rivers have been moved to safer places after the water level increased.
He also said that 56 interior roads in the district remain closed because of the heavy rainfall, while teams are working to reopen them as soon as possible.
