The Hindu : Slippery track holds up yatra

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jul 17, 2003

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Other States - Jammu & Kashmir

Slippery track holds up yatra

By Luv Puri

PTI

Stranded Amarnath pilgrims at a transit camp in Jammu on Wednesday.

Jammu July 16. Pilgrims were not allowed today along the Jammu-Srinagar national highway and on the Pahalgam route to the Amarnath cave shrine.

The annual pilgrimage, which began on July 9, has been suspended owing to the slippery track and the landslips along the route causing concern to the authorities.

The daily number visiting the cave has been much higher than what had been recommended by the Nitesh Sen Gupta Committee. About 4,000 pilgrims had been allowed daily `darshan' last week, against the permitted number of 3,500. On an average, about 10,000 people had visited the shrine during the last two days.

A high-level official meeting decided that those without registration slips would be stopped at the checkpoints and no permission be given for the `yatris' to proceed in bad weather.

Long queues were noticed today at the Deputy Commissioner's office for registration, with many stating that they had been waiting for several days.

Tarun Basu from Kolkata was heard complaining that it was his fifth day before the office.

However, the authorities have drawn up contingency plans. The district administration has been directed to plan for the boarding and lodging of pilgrims, who are on their way to Jammu. Arrangements have also been made to provide food for them and temporary lodging facilities have been arranged in Kathura.

Meanwhile, pilgrims continue to arrive at the MAM stadium, from where `yatris' head to the shrine daily.

Sources said the incessant rain and snowfall had forced suspension of the trips and there was fear of a possible repeat of the 1996 disaster, in which over 200 pilgrims were killed following heavy snowfall.

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