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Snowfall halts Amarnath Yatra
Jammu: Heavy snowfalls at the holy cave, Sheshnag and Vaitarni and landslides at different places en route the Pahalgam-Amarnath have led to halting of the annual Amarnath Yatra. The Yatra which was scheduled to be flagged off today has been postponed till the tracks are cleared and the climate becomes more conducive. This was announced by Deputy Inspector General Himant Lohia. The snowfall has left more than 1500 pilgrims stranded. Security forces have been put on a high alert along the entire route of the Amarnath yatra to ensure the safety of the pilgrims. Officials said they have put in place three-tier surveillance, complete with chopper surveys, specially trained commando lookouts and hundreds of foot soldiers frisking the mountain range. Besides the state police, central paramilitary forces like the Central Reserve Police Force and Border Security Force have also been pressed into service.
On
Saturday, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Ghulam Nabi Azad on visited the Amarnath
cave and offered prayers. He also met the pilgrims and asked them about
any difficulties that they had to face on their way to one of the most
difficult terrain of world, which stands at a height of nearly 12,500
feet (3,888 metres) above the sea level. After offering the prayers, Azad
said that the presence of the holy site in the state was a matter of pride
and blessing for its people, saying people from all over the country find
peace and happiness here. He also too stock of the security situation
and said the administration here was very efficient and the security cover
was very impeccable. "To provide protection to the pilgrims in one of
the most hostile environment is really a thing to praise our security
personnel," he had said.
-June 11, 2006
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