Amarnath pilgrims convoy enroute to Kashmir briefly stopped due to landslides
Banihal/Jammu, Jul 22 (PTI) A fresh batch of over 3,000 Amarnath pilgrims left a base camp here for Kashmir on Saturday but their convoy was briefly stopped in Ramban following landslides at two places along the Jammu-Srinagar highway, officials said. Landslides due to rains were reported from Mehar and Dalwas areas along the 270-km highway but after removal of debris traffic movement was restored, officials said.
The 20th batch of 3,472 pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu in 132 vehicles in the early hours of Saturday but the convoy was stopped at Chanderkote due to the closure of the highway, they said.
The pilgrims were later allowed to move towards their destinations in the Kashmir Valley to join the yatra, the officials said, adding they reached Banihal around noon. Of them, 2,515 pilgrims are listed to undertake the yatra to the Amarnath cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas from Pahalgam in Anantnag district and 957 by the Baltal route in Ganderbal district, the officials said.
