Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 1: After remaining suspended for three consecutive days, the yatra resumed from both Baltal and Pahalgam-Chandanwari tracks with 10,935 pilgrims paying obeisance at holy cave of Swami Amarnath on fourth day of darshan today.
According to official sources, 8,000 pilgrims left from Nunwan base camp to holy cave via traditional Pahalgam route and 36 km long Chandanwari track. Out of them, 5000 left from Nunwan base camp while others left from Pahalgam, who were staying in various hotels and lodges there for last few days.
Sources said that 10,935 pilgrims left for darshan via shortest Baltal track early this morning while 1245 left via chopper. In addition to this, 1178 returned towards Jammu from Baltal base camp this morning.
Sources said 5000 pilgrims also reached Nunwan base camp from Jammu by this evening and 5775 pilgrims are camping in the camp for night. They will leave for holy cave early tomorrow morning provided the weather remains pleasant.
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Sources said due to heavy rush of pilgrims as well as Ladakh transport, there was huge traffic jam from Sonamarg to Baltal and the pilgrims who left Jammu this morning were trapped in traffic jam. The authorities said they could not give exact number of pilgrims camping at Baltal due to jam as the pilgrims who were stranded at various places on NH since yesterday and those who left Jammu this morning have been trapped in the jam and they will reach late in the night after the traffic is restored on the Highway.
Sources said, a pilgrim died at Pahalgam today taking the death toll in this year’s pilgrimage which started on June 28 to two.
He has been identified as 65 year old Bano Bhai Gardai of Gujarat. He developed chest pain at the camp early this morning and later was taken to Sub District Hospital, Pahalgam were he breathed his last due to cardiac arrest.
Earlier, a BSF Sub Inspector who was on yatra duty had died at Betab Valley in Pahalgam on June 29.
Two pilgrims were injured after a fall from horse near Baltal Base Camp today. They were identified as Megha Ji from Mumbai whose right leg got fractured. Another pilgrim was identified as Manoj Kumar from Muzafar Nagar, UP. His left arm was injured. Both of them were hospitalized, official sources said.
Meanwhile, the fourth batch of 9,688 pilgrims left Bhagawati Nagar Yatri Niwas here for Baltal and Nunwan –Pahalgam Base camps early this morning under tight security measures in a cavalcade of 233 vehcles, a police officer said.
He said out of them, 6898 pilgrims opted for traditional Pahalgam track, while 2790 took shortest Baltal route. He said they included 7258 male, 2176 female and 250 Sadhus.
According to sources, over 6000 pilgrims are camping at Bhagwati Nagar Base camp and other hotels and lodges in Jammu at present.
These pilgrims will leave for holy cave early tomorrow morning provided the weather is normal, DC Jammu, Rajiv Ranjan told Excelsior.
Sources said over 1300 pilgrims entered Jammu from road transport via Lakhanpur by this evening while hundreds also came via rail traffic. All these pilgrims reached Jammu and were camping at various community halls and lodges.
All the stranded passengers at Samba, Kathua and Vijaypur were allowed to leave for Jammu early this morning, sources said.
To take the stock of yatra arrangements, Governor N N Vohra who is also the Chairman of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), convened a review meeting of the Board at Srinagar today.
The Governor was informed by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Board Umang Narula that the yatra which remained suspended for last three days resumed from both Baltal and Nunwan-Pahalgam tracks early this morning.
The weather was pleasant during the day on yatra tracks. The yatra will be allowed to proceed towards holy cave from both the tracks tomorrow provided weather remains pleasant, a spokesman of the Board said.
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