Amarnath yatra resumes after 3 days as weather improves

The Amarnath yatra resumed on Sunday from Panjtarni and Sheshnag base camps after remaining suspended for three days due to inclement weather in Kashmir, officials said here.

As soon as the skies cleared around the cave shrine, the authorities opened the gates and allowed the stranded devotees to offer prayers at the naturally formed ice-lingam in south Kashmir Himalayas, they said.

"Those devotees who had already performed 'darshan' have been allowed to return to Baltal base camp," a senior official at the Panjtarni base camp told PTI over phone.

The Army has sheltered more than 700 Amarnath pilgrims at its camp in Qazigund in Anantnag district after they were stranded due to heavy rainfall in the valley.

Earlier, in the day no fresh batch of pilgrims was allowed from Jammu owing to inclement weather and closure of the Jammu-Srinagar national highway, officials said.

Efforts are on to restore traffic on the highway which was blocked by multiple landslides and washing away of nearly 40-metre road stretch in Ramban district, leaving over 3,500 vehicles stranded, officials said.

While most parts of Jammu and Kashmir experienced incessant rains since Thursday night, some areas near the high altitude Amarnath shrine recorded snowfall as well.

According to the meteorological department, the weather is likely to improve from Monday.

The officials said the clearance operation along the Jammu-Srinagar national highway was hampered by incessant rains.

“The operation to clear the landslide debris and bypass the damaged portion of the road near Panthiyal tunnel through old road alignment is going on. Frequent shooting of stones from the hillocks overlooking the highway at Panthiyal delayed the restoration work,” a traffic department official said.

He said stranded vehicles will be cleared on priority once the road is made trafficable before allowing fresh traffic from Jammu and Srinagar.

The official said a fresh landslide at Ratta Chamb has blocked the Mughal road.

The road was cleared for traffic late afternoon on Saturday but was again blocked due to a fresh landslide, the official said, adding the clearance operation is on.