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| Businessmen, workers pin hope as authorities begin to repair Pahalgam track | | Amarnath Yatra 2021 | |  Saahil Suhail
Early Times Report
Pahalgam, June 13: The businessmen, Ponny Wallas and laborers today expressed hope that the Jammu and Kashmir Government will allow the Amarnath Yatra pilgrimage from both routes.
“Till last week there was no activity going on but now the authorities have started construction works on Chandanwari-Holy Cave track and we hope that the Government allows the pilgrimage from both routes,” Abdul Ahad, a Pahalgam resident, told Early Times.
Ahad, who runs a shop at Chandanwari near the Amarnath Yatra base camp, said that Chandanwari-Holy Cave track was traditional and religiously important. “In and around Pahalgam, people here are dependent on Tourism and Amarnath Yatra. We have suffered a lot since 2019 and especially due to this COVID-19. Now the rate of positive cases has gone down and we expect the Government will take some good decisions,” he said.
“The construction work started last week and we are here working as laborers. We don’t have any land and we are dependent on Amarnath Yatra,” Manzoor Ahmad, another resident said. He said that the Government should allow Amarnath Yatra pilgrimage as the people, especially the poor class dependent on Yatra will get some relief.
Local residents told Early Times that the Pahalgam Development Authority has started construction of 15 feet wide Amarnath Yatra track from Chandanwari base camp to Chandanwari glacier.
Officials at PDA said that they had also started repairing tracks from Chandanwari to Pishoo top to ease difficulties the pilgrims were facing due to difficult terrain. “We are executing works at a good pace,” they said.
The pilgrimage, which was called off last year in view of Covid pandemic, is scheduled to take place from June 28 and end on August 22. The Government hasn’t taken a decision on whether to allow the yatra or not. Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, who is chairman of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), will likely chair the SASB meeting next week to take a call on the pilgrimage.
Officials who spoke to Early Times claimed that most likely the Amarnath Yatra will be ‘ceremonial’ this year.
On June 8, J&K BJP president Ravinder Raina had said a restricted pilgrimage should be facilitated if the prevailing Covid situation does not allow a full-fledged yatra. |
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