Final call on annual Amarnath pilgrimage soon
Arun Joshi
Tribune News Service
Jammu, July 16
The J&K administration and Shri Amarnath Shrine Board will take a final call on organising the annual pilgrimage to the cave shrine in a couple of days.
Earlier, the administration had decided to start the pilgrimage from next week albeit making 100 per cent testing and other standard operating procedures mandatory for the pilgrims coming from outside of J&K.
The July 4 decision, which envisaged 500 pilgrims per day, stands as of today but it may be modified in view of the alarming rise in Covid-19 cases in J&K.
The total death toll in J&K has reached 208 and the number of positive cases stands around 12,000.
Originally, the pilgrimage was scheduled to begin on June 21 but because of the virus, it was cancelled. Later, the decision was revised, saying that a call would be taken in view of the reviewed situation.
The annual yatra is scheduled to conclude on Raksha Bandhan on August 3.
The UT administration and Shri Amarnath Shrine Board is seeking to strike a balance between the die-hard devotees insisting on the pilgrimage and those demanding its cancellation because of the spread of the deadly coronavirus in Kashmir.
The administration has got the snow cleared from the track leading to the shrine located at the height of 13,500 feet, where an ice stalagmite, revered as symbol of Lord Shiva, is the main attraction for the pilgrims.
Security forces, too, have been deployed in adequate numbers from Srinagar to Baltal and the shrine.
Also, all the schools in Ganderbal district from Zakura to Sonamarg have been reserved for accommodation for the security personnel on pilgrimage duty.
