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With the annual Amarnath Yatra suspended for a second consecutive day due to poor weather conditions, many people remained stranded at the twin base camps of Baltal and Pahalgam.
Amid evacuation appeals, ten people from Surat have been identified among those who are stuck. The pilgrims are said to be trapped at Sheshnag in the Panchtarni area on the Amarnath Yatra route. The rescue work will be carried out once the weather conditions improve, Surat Mayor Hemali Boghawala said on Saturday.
“We have come across information about 10 pilgrims who are trapped at Panchtarni and Sheshnag on the way to Amarnath shrine. We shared information about them with the Surat District Collectorate officials who will contact the local district administration. As of now, due to bad weather conditions, those who are trapped cannot be evacuated, and once the weather turns normal, the evacuation process will be carried out. We have also intimated the state government officials, and shared information about providing help to the trapped pilgrims at Sheshnag and Panchtarni,” she said.
Yogi Jani (39), along with his three friends Sandeep Mandaliya (40), Sunil Sanyaniya (36), Hiral Limbachiya (28), left Surat for the pilgrimage on July 1. They paid a visit to the Vaishno Devi shrine and later continued their journey to the Amarnath shrine. However, due to bad weather, they were not allowed to move forward. They have been in a Sheshnag area camp since July 4.
Speaking with The Indian Express, Yogi Jani said, “Due to the bad weather, with snowfall and rainfall, we were not allowed to go ahead. We are presently staying in a tent at Sheshnag. There was snowfall in the area this evening and the temperature has dipped. Army jawans are taking care of us along with the local administration officials. There were some pilgrims from Mehsana in Gujarat who are aged, and they are out of stock of medicines and the local administration officials took them down to the base camp.” He further added, “We have come across the information that for the next couple of days, bad weather has been predicted. Once the weather turns normal, we will be allowed to resume the journey.”
The yatra was suspended on Friday following widespread rain and landslides, particularly along the twin tracks — the traditional 48-kilometre Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the 14-kilometre Baltal route in Ganderbal district.
Nearly 50,000 pilgrims are put up at various base camps in Kashmir valley with almost 19,000 at Baltal base camp in the Ganderbal district, PTI reported.
The 62-day annual pilgrimage to the 3,888-metre-high cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas commenced from the twin tracks of Pahalgam and Baltal on July 1. The yatra is set to conclude on August 31.
(With inputs from PTI)
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