Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, June 25: In a major setback to the devotees of Lord Shiva, the already curtailed 45 days long annual pilgrimage to Shri Amarnath ji shrine will face further cut in duration from traditional Pahalgam-Chandanwari track with Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), which mans the pilgrimage, announcing tonight that yatra to the cave shrine wouldn’t start on June 28 as scheduled earlier from the traditional track.
However, the SASB said, the pilgrimage would take off from shorter Baltal route and that pilgrims of the cave shrine, who had registered themselves for first three days i.e. from June 28-30 for traditional Chandanwari track, would be allowed to proceed to the shrine from Baltal track, if they desired.
The SASB announcement of deferring yatra from traditional Chandanwari route came late this evening after Governor NN Vohra, the Chairman of the Shrine Board and CEO RK Gupta undertook extensive survey of the traditional track during the day today and found that there was still heavy snow at Sheshnag camp, which rendered the track unfit for the pilgrims.
However, official sources said that Army, BSF, CRPF and JKP have been deployed in adequate strength even on traditional Chandanwari track right up to Amarnath ji cave shrine for protection of the pilgrims.
They said the temperature remained very low at Amarnath ji shrine and track this summer and as a result the snow melted very slowly. Moreover, there was fresh snowfall at upper reached of the track a fortnight ago.
The Shrine Board had decided to register 30,000 pilgrims daily-15,000 from each track of Baltal and Chandanwari. However, so far, only 2.01 lakh pilgrims have registered themselves for the yatra. Sources, however, admitted that it wouldn’t be possible to allow 30,000 pilgrims from Baltal track, if all pilgrims registered for Chandanwari track preferred to undertake pilgrimage from Baltal.
“There was remote possibility that all 15,000 pilgrims registered for Pahalgam would undertake pilgrimage from shorter but very tough Baltal track,” sources said.
Even as the yatra has been deferred from Pahalgam track, a number of `Langarwallahs’ have reached Nunwan, Chandanwari and other areas on the track and started establishing their camps.
“In view of heavy snowfall at Sheshnag Camp, it wouldn’t be possible for the SASB to start yatra as scheduled on June 28 from traditional Chandanwari track. However, annual yatra of Lord Shiva in South Kashmir Himalayas in Anantnag district would start from short Baltal track on June 28,” an official handout issued here this evening by the SASB said.
The Governor would review condition of Chandanwari track at a high level meeting again in the afternoon on June 30 to see whether yatra could start from the traditional track from July 1.
Last year, duration of the pilgrimage to Amarnath ji cave shrine was 55 days but this year, it has already been reduced to 45 days and duration would further go down due to delay in start of yatra from Pahalgam track, which is traditional track of the yatra and is preferred by majority of pilgrims as it was less treacherous as compared to shorter Baltal route.
Sources recalled that few years back also, the yatra from Pahalgam track was delayed due to snowfall.
Annual pilgrimage is scheduled to start from Jammu base camp on July 27 and forward base camps of Nunwan (Pahalgam) and Baltal on June 28. However, with yatra being deferred from Pahalgam track on June 29 due to snowfall at Sheshnag camp, it would start only from Baltal track on June 28.
The official handout said in 2013-14 winter, the Himalayan mountain ranges in the entire Yatra area witnessed very heavy snowfall.
“The very large accumulation of snow in the Yatra area, and the slow rate of snow-melt, has caused serious concern to the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board whose officers had been undertaking regular assessments of the ground situation,” it said.
In the past weeks, Governor NN Vohra, who is Chairman of the SASB undertook an aerial reconnaissance of the entire Yatra area, which was followed by on-ground surveys by RK Gupta, CEO of the Shrine Board and by Shailendra Kumar, the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir.
Today, the Governor and CEO undertook a day long tour to the holy cave shrine, Panjtarni yatra camp and Sheshnag yatra camp via 14500 feet high Mahagunus Pass and the Pahalgam yatra camp. They observed that the snow track along Panjtarni-Mahagunus Top-Sheshnag is still under very significant snow cover.
After the Governor’s inspection of the area of Sheshnag yatra camp along with the CEO and senior officers of Army, BSF, CRPF and others, it was observed that, on an average, the entire camp site was still covered by one and a half to two feet of snow.
On return to Srinagar later in the day, the Governor held a meeting with K Rajendra, DGP, Shailendra Kumar, Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir; Abdul Gani Mir, IGP Kashmir, R K Gupta, CEO and Preet Pal Singh, Additional CEO. It may be mentioned here that the DGP and the IGP Kashmir, had also visited the yatra area today and particularly viewed the ground situation in Sheshnag Camp.
After detailed discussions the meeting chaired by the Governor decided that keeping in view the considerable snow accumulation in the entire area of Sheshnag yatra camp and present status of the track from Sheshnag camp -Mahagunus Pass – Panjtarni camp, the Yatra via the Pahalgam – Sheshnag route would not commence on June 28.
The Governor directed that the pace of the ongoing clearing of snow and repair and renovation work should be further enhanced and he would review the progress every day.
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