Jammu and Kashmir: Amit Shah speaks to Lieutenant Governor, takes update on Amarnath Yatra

Amit Shah, the Union Home Minister, spoke with Manoj Sinha, the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, on Sunday to get an update on the Amarnath Yatra, which had been postponed due to severe rains.

Prior to the annual Amarnath Yatra being temporarily suspended on both routes -- Baltal (Ganderbal district) and Nunwan (Pahalgam district) -- due to unfavourable weather conditions that led to numerous landslides along the 270-kilometer Jammu-Srinagar national highway in Ramban district two days ago, Shah spoke to Sinha over the phone earlier in the day.

Following an improvement in the weather, the annual Amarnath Yatra on the Pahalgam route begun on Sunday afternoon, according to officials, who also noted that the Yatra on the other route, Baltal, has not yet started.

Authorities on Sunday however stopped a batch of devotees at the Jammu Base camp due to the closure of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway.

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Following the suspension of the Yatra, 6,000 Amarnath Yatra pilgrims were stranded at Ramban, officials said.

In the Ramban district, overnight rainfall on Thursday caused mudslides, landslides, and shooting stones at Panthyal, Mehar, and other locations, closing the national highway. Following waterlogging at Hiller Anantnag railway station, train service from Qazigund to Banihal was also halted.

Beginning on July 1, a spiritual pilgrimage took place at a height of 3,888 metres in the south Kashmir Himalayas. The 62-day journey to the Amarnath cave, where Lord Shiva resides, will come to an end on August 31.

The Home Minister praised the efforts of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) troops earlier on Sunday in a tweet for giving every pilgrim a safer Amarnath Yatra.

"The NDRF and the SDRF have always stood tall in service to the nation and humanity despite all odds. Their role has been crucial in fulfilling our goal of providing a safer Amarnath Yatra to every pilgrim. Sharing a photograph of an SDRF Jawan carrying a lady yatri on his back for 3 km through the unforgiving terrain of the Himalayas on her way back from the holy shrine. I applaud them for being the beacon of safety for the citizens," Shah tweeted.

(With agency inputs)