Banihal/Jammu, August 10th: Following a day-long closure due to a massive landslide near Maroog in Ramban district, the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway has been restored to regular traffic. A new group of 999 pilgrims embarked on their journey from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp to the Amarnath cave shrine in Kashmir on Thursday morning, according to officials.
The 270-km-long highway, serving as the crucial all-weather link between Kashmir and the rest of the country, had been inaccessible for over 18 hours due to the aforementioned landslide occurring around 3 am on Wednesday. Throughout the day, restoration efforts were repeatedly hindered by shooting stones from the hillside overlooking the highway. However, late in the evening, a partial opening allowed stranded vehicles to pass through.
The traffic department confirmed the resumption of fresh traffic from both Jammu and Srinagar following the clearance of all stranded vehicles. With the highway back in operation, the 37th batch of Amarnath pilgrims, consisting of 422 devotees en route to the Baltal base camp in Ganderbal district and 577 pilgrims traveling to the Pahalgam base camp via the traditional route in Anantnag district, commenced their journey in a convoy of 33 vehicles around 3.30 am.
Since the beginning of the 62-day yatra on July 1st, over 4.28 lakh pilgrims have paid their respects at the Amarnath cave shrine, situated at an altitude of 3,880 meters.
