JAMMU: The Amarnath Yatra was suspended for the fourth consecutive day on Tuesday due to a closure of the Jammu-Srinagar national highway owing to the extensive damage caused to its Ramban section, leaving 15,000 pilgrims stranded in Jammu and at other places.
Authorities said incessant rains have caused unprecedented damage to the highway, especially the stretch falling in Ramban district, forcing its closure for traffic on Monday.
Despite the suspension of the yatra, the pilgrims remain undeterred and optimistic about visiting the Amarnath cave shrine, even if it means waiting for days.
“The yatra has not yet resumed from Jammu. It is still suspended due to a closure of the highway. No fresh batch was allowed to move towards Kashmir from the Jammu base camp on Tuesday,” a senior officer told reporters.
Traffic authorities issued an advisory on Monday night, saying the collective efforts of the administration and National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) throughout the day resulted in a substantial improvement in the road condition.
However, complete restoration is expected to take some more time. Accordingly, it has been decided by the administration to keep the traffic on the highway suspended for Tuesday, it added.
As the yatra is suspended, around 8,000 pilgrims are stranded in Jammu, particularly at the Bhagwatinagar base camp, officials said.
Similarly, around 6,000 pilgrims are stranded at the Chanderkot base camp in Ramban district. Nearly 2,000 pilgrims are stranded at the Kathua and Samba camps.