About 25,000 Amarnath pilgrims who had been stranded at twin base-camps of Baltal and Pahalgam following the outbreak of widespread violence in the Kashmir Valley in the aftermath of the killing of a
About 25,000 Amarnath pilgrims who had been stranded at twin base-camps of Baltal and Pahalgam following the outbreak of widespread violence in the Kashmir Valley in the aftermath of the killing of a militant commander by security forces have been evacuated.
These pilgrims, after leaving the base-camps at Baltal, about 100 km in north of Srinagar and at equidistant Pahalgam in south of the Valley in 1,741 buses and other vehicles at dawn on Monday for Jammu, reached the winter capital in the afternoon, official said.
Meanwhile, a report from Jammu said that the Amarnath yatra resumed from the winter capital on Monday evening after remaining suspended for about three days. A batch of 3,500 pilgrims left from Bagwatinagar transit camp for the base camps of shorter Baltal and traditional Pahalgam routes of the 12,729-foot-high cave-shrine in Kashmir hills, deputy commissioner (Jammu) Simrandeep Singh said.
Also, fresh batches of pilgrims who were camping at Baltal and Pahalgam for past couple of days were on Monday morning allowed to proceed towards the cave-shrine. As many 5,906 pilgrims had paid obeisance till Monday noon.
Governor N.N. Vohra, Chairman of Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB), in a meeting of senior administration and police officers held at the Raj Bhavan here, reviewed various issues relating to the ongoing yatra. The meeting was informed that necessary arrangements are in place at both the yatra base camps as well as at various halting places en route for ensuring the safety and security of the pilgrims. “Observing that the majority of the pilgrims and tourists come from distant states, the Governor directed the DG Police, K. Rajendra Kumar, to further strengthen the safety and security arrangements for all visitors,” an official release said. J&K Chief Secretary, B.R. Sharma informed that the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation has, at the government’s request, issued directions to all the airlines to revalidate the tickets of the passengers who could not undertake their scheduled journeys due to the situation in the past three days. The Governor asked him to make a similar request to the railways authorities and, apart from permitting revalidation of tickets, provide additional coaches and, if necessary, also run special trains to transport all passengers who could not undertake their scheduled journeys. Meanwhile, Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, has appreciated that the people of the Valley have extended hospitality and all kinds help to the pilgrims and tourists, despite facing various hardships themselves. “I salute the people of Kashmir for upholding the highest traditions of communal harmony and hospitality in the prevailing situation,” she said here.
