Jammu, June 14
Chaos prevailed at the base camp of the Amarnath Yatra at Yatri Niwas when hundreds of pilgrims who had registered for the yatra from June 7 through Pehalgam and Baltal routes gathered there hoping they would be allowed to proceed with it tomorrow.
However, yesterday’s decision of the government that these yatris would have to register afresh caught them unawares as they had already reached here late last evening or today. These pilgrims are in for another trouble as the government has said the yatris registered for pilgrimage before June 15 will have to wait till July 17 if they want to take yatra from the Baltal route.
Jammu Division Commissioner Pawan Kotwal informed that the JK Bank has said they cannot register anyone for the Baltal route before July 17. The second option for the yatris is to wait till the decision on the Pehalgam route is taken. It will be taken on June 22.
Rakesh Kaushik from Kaithal has come here with this family only to get the shock that they have to register themselves afresh. He was among the first group to be flagged off originally on June 7.
“We are sitting outside the bhawan without any food or water arrangement for us by the government. The Information Department of the government has also failed to provide the news in this regard so that people could change their plans,” he rued.
Sumit Ghosh said the department should circulate the information to national channels or national dailies so that others who were coming were not harassed. The state government had yesterday announced that only pilgrimage from the Baltal route would be allowed from June 15. Those registered for the route of Pehalgam and Chandenwari would have to
re-register.
