Hyderabad: In view of evolving COVID-19 situation, the registration for Amarnath Yatra has been temporarily suspended by the authorities on Thursday.
Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) said it is constantly monitoring the situation and it would be reopened once the situation improves.
Earlier, on April 12, the shrine authorities had said that the online registration would commence on April 15.
The annual 56-day Amarnath yatra is set to commence on June 28 with all COVID-19 protocols in place, and culminate, as per the tradition, on the day of the Raksha Bandhan festival on August 22.
Situated in a narrow gorge at the farther end of Lidder Valley, Amarnath Shrine stands at 3,888m, 46 km from Pahalgam and 14 km from Baltal.
There are two traditional routes to the holy cave: Jammu-Pahalgam-holy cave and Jammu-Baltal-holy cave. The latter is a 414-km long route.
The first part of the stretch passes through valleys and waterfalls, while the second leg is a bit narrow and has steep rises and falls on the way.
According to the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) last year the Amarnath Yatra was cancelled in view of the conditions created by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Board in 2019, as many as 3,42,883 pilgrims had visited the holy shrine before the yatra was cut short after the Indian Army said Pakistani terrorists were planning to disrupt the pilgrimage.
The figure for footfall in the preceding year, 2018, was 2,85,006.
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