Jammu, July 11: The ongoing Amarnath Yatra has been suspended for the fourth consecutive day as the Jammu-Srinagar national highway remains closed. The closure is due to extensive damage to the Ramban section caused by incessant rains, leaving around 15,000 pilgrims stranded in Jammu and other areas.
The closure of the highway, particularly the Ramban district stretch, has been a result of unprecedented damage caused by heavy rains, forcing traffic to come to a halt since Monday. Despite the suspension, pilgrims remain determined and hopeful of visiting the Amarnath cave shrine, even if it means waiting for days.
A senior officer confirmed that the yatra has not yet resumed from Jammu, and no fresh batch of pilgrims was allowed to proceed towards Kashmir on Tuesday from the Jammu base camp. Although efforts have been made to improve the road condition by the administration and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), complete restoration is expected to take more time.
Currently, approximately 8,000 pilgrims are stranded in Jammu, particularly at the Bhagwatinagar base camp, while around 6,000 are stuck at the Chanderkot base camp in Ramban district. An additional 2,000 pilgrims are stranded at the Kathua and Samba camps. Despite the situation, more pilgrims continue to arrive in Jammu, with most being accommodated in various lodging centers.
Officials, including Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar and deputy commissioners, are closely monitoring the situation and ensuring that the stranded pilgrims face no difficulties. It has been stated that the yatra will resume from Jammu once the highway is fully repaired.
Although the pilgrimage had resumed from the Pahalgam and Baltal base camps in Kashmir, heavy rain and inclement weather conditions have led to its suspension there as well. The Jammu-Srinagar highway, spanning 250 km, is the sole all-weather road connecting Kashmir to the rest of the country. The Ramban district administration is actively working to restore traffic on the highway, where approximately 5,000 vehicles remain stranded between Ramban and Lakhanpur.
The annual Amarnath Yatra, spanning 62 days, began on July 1 and is scheduled to conclude on August 31. Thus far, 43,833 pilgrims have embarked on the pilgrimage from the Jammu base camp in seven batches.
