Jammu, Feb 18: With Covid cases declining in Jammu and Kashmir, the union territory’s administration will, in all likelihood, resume the Amarnath Yatra, giving devotees of Lord Shiva cause to celebrate.
“We are hopeful that this year the yatra will take place as the impact of coronavirus is going down,” Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said National News Channel.
The Amarnath Yatra, an annual Hindu pilgrimage to Jammu and Kashmir’s Amarnath Temple, has been suspended for two consecutive years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Mr Sinha, the Jammu and Kashmir administration will be reviewing the Covid situation and taking a decision on the registration of yatris soon.
In Kashmir, the administration has also started some ground work in preparation for the yatra.
“Oxygen booths and testing facilities are the focus for the arrangements being made,” a senior Ministry of Home Affairs official disclosed.
“Meetings are being held in which the focus on widening roads at critical junctions culverts is being stressed upon,” the official added.
All departments involved in making yatra arrangements will start executing plans from the first week of April, stated the official, and aim to complete all preparation by May 15, 2022.
Amarnath Yatra 2022, if approved, will tentatively take place from June 27 onwards. This year, the yatra would go on for 38 days and culminate on August 11.