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| Journey to Lord Shiva’s abode resumes | | |
Jammu, July 8: After a day’s halt due to inclement weather, the pilgrimage to the cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir resumed this morning as weather improved.
Meanwhile, the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was today reopened for traffic after multiple landslides, blocked it at Samroli, 80 kms from here yesterday, official sources said. "The highway has been reopened for two-way traffic from Srinagar to Jammu," said the authorities.
The highway was blocked in the Udhampur-Kud sector around 0800 hours yesterday following multiple landslides triggered by heavy rains.
Over a 1,000 vehicles, including the Amarnath yatra cavalcade were stranded, sources said adding that highway was reopened for one way traffic for brief period around 1900 hours yesterday.
More than 18,500 pilgrims, who were stuck up at different points en route to cave shrine from Pahalgam and Baltal routes due to heavy rains and snowfall on Sunday, started their journey towards the cave this morning, the Director Public Relations of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) Madan Mantoo said.
SASB has made adequate arrangements for shelter and medical care for the pilgrims at all camping sites en route from Baltal and Pahalgam, he said.
Till July 7, nearly 82,000 devotees had paid their obeisance at the shrine, Mantoo said. However, unofficial reports said more than 1,32,000 devotees had performed darshan so far as 50,000 of them had visited cave shrine before the official commencement of yatra.
A fresh batch of 2623 pilgrims, including 502 women and 78 children, also left from the base camp of Mam Stadium here towards the cave shrine this morning in a fleet of 85 vehicles, officials said, adding the stranded pilgrims at Udhampur also joined the cavalcade for the onward journey at Nunwan in Pahalgam and Baltal.
Meanwhile, one more pilgrim, identified as 60-year-old Karan Nath of Sirsa in Haryana, died at holy cave shrine on Monday increasing the total death toll to seven.
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