JAMMU: The annual Shri Amarnath Yatra resumed on Sunday after remaining suspended for a day due to the closure of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH-44) following heavy rains and landslides, officials said.
A total of 3,886 pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in Jammu for the Baltal base camp in Kashmir in the 25th batch under tight security arrangements, according to the Zonal Police Control Room.
The convoy, comprising 177 vehicles, departed at 2:52 am. It included 78 buses, 42 medium motor vehicles (MMVs), 53 light motor vehicles (LMVs) and four two-wheelers.
The batch comprised 3,098 men, 673 women, five children, 87 sadhus, 22 sadhvis and one child sadhu, officials said.
The pilgrimage was suspended on Saturday after the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was closed between Udhampur and Banihal to facilitate restoration work at landslide-hit stretches following heavy rainfall.
The highway was reopened on Saturday evening after repair and clearance operations, allowing the annual pilgrimage to resume.
With the departure of Sunday’s convoy, the cumulative number of pilgrims who have left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp for the Baltal route this year has reached 1,39,692, officials said.
The Yatra is continuing under heightened security and traffic regulation measures, with authorities closely monitoring weather conditions and the condition of the national highway.
