Amarnath Yatra suspended from Aug 3, a week before it was to end
The yatra, which began on July 3, was scheduled to conclude on August 9 on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan. However, authorities decided to shorten it by a week, citing 'critical repair and maintenance works' to be undertaken in the wake of the heavy rainfall.
Kashmir divisional commissioner Vijay Kumar Bidhuri said that due to the recent heavy rains, critical repair and maintenance works are required on both the Baltal and Pahalgam routes. 'It has been observed that due to continued deployment of men and machinery on the tracks from tomorrow, we would not be able to resume yatra. The yatra will therefore remain suspended from August 3 onwards from both the routes.'
Bidhuri noted that this year, over 410,000 yatris visited the holy cave shrine.In comparison, last year saw more than 510,000 pilgrims pay their respects at the shrine.
With PTI inputs
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