By IANS,
Jammu : Bad weather is hampering efforts to clear the route to the sacred Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir even as the annual Amarnath pilgrimage is scheduled to start in less than a month.
A spokesman of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), in a statement issued Sunday, said: “The work has been hampered as labourers have not been able to move and work continuously in rainy conditions in the high altitude area.”
Bad weather and hostile terrain have been hampering the clearance of the pilgrimage route from two sides – Pahalgam and Baltal.
“Continuous bad weather has not only hampered snow clearance work on the track but also has delayed repair of other infrastructure like restoration of power, water supply, repair of huts,” said SASB Chief Executive Officer Navin K. Choudhary after visiting the Baltal route, which is 110 km north of Srinagar.
Kashmir has been experiencing chilly weather and snow at the upper reaches for most part of this month.
The pilgrimage is scheduled to start June 25.
The Amarnath cave shrine, devoted to Lord Shiva, is located at a height of 3,888 metres above sea level. A stalagmite of snow, revered as an icon of Shiva, is the main attraction for pilgrims visiting the shrine from all across the country.
More than 630,000 pilgrims had visited the shrine last year. This year, already more than 200,000 would be-pilgrims have registered themselves for undertaking the pilgrimage.