Landslides block National Highway for 2 hrs
By News Agency of Kashmir,
Jammu : The second batch of over 2, 000 pilgrims left Jammu for the holy care shrine of Amarnath in South Kashmir amid security right security arrangements this morning.
Official sources informed News Agency of Kashmir that the second batch of 2,062 pilgrims comprising over 100 Sadhus left in 70 vehicles from Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Bhawan complex for the holy cave shrine of Amarnath escorted by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
“With today’s batch, a total of 4,899 pilgrims have left Jammu for the Amarnath shrine. The first batch of 2,837 pilgrims left for Amarnath after the Yatra cavalcade was flagged off on Tuesday by Minister for Higher Education Gulchain Singh Charak,” said reports.
Reports added that there was great excitement among the pilgrims and they were seen dancing to the tunes of drums at Bhagwati Nagar, the base camp of pilgrimage in Jammu. “Chanting religious hymns and tolling bells, the pilgrims left Jammu base camp amid tight security cover. Three-tier arrangements have been put in place in and around caves shrine besides at base camps in Jammu, Pahalgam and Baltal,” security officials said.
Meanwhile, the traffic on 300-km-long Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, the only road link connecting Kashmir valley with rest of the country remained disrupted for about two hours due to landslides triggered by heavy rains at Bali Nallah near Samroli in district Udhampur early this morning.
However, sources informed that the highway was reopened after remaining closed for nearly two hours and the vehicles carrying Amarnath pilgrims were allowed to proceed onward journey, adding that the vehicles carrying the pilgrims from various states remained stranded on the highway for two hours near Samroli in district Udhampur district after landslides blocked it this morning.
Police sources informed that the highway has been cleared and 70 vehicles carrying pilgrims are now on way to Pahalgam and Baltal. Reports said that about 6,335 pilgrims left from Baltal and Nunwan base camps towards the cave shrine on Wednesday morning.