NEW DELHI, June 21: The annual Amarnath Yatra has been cancelled for the second year in a row amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Earlier, in view of the evolving COVID-19 situation, registration for the Yatra was temporarily suspended. The Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board had said the situation was being constantly monitored.
The 56-day Amarnath Yatra was due to start simultaneously on both routes from June 28 and culminate on the “Raksha Bandhan” day on August 22. The Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir tweeted on Monday: “It’s important to save people’s lives. So, it is not advisable to hold and conduct this year’s pilgrimage in the larger public interest.”
The Yatra will be “symbolic only” but “all traditional religious rituals shall be performed at the Holy Cave Shrine,” the Lieutenant-Governor’s office said.
The annual pilgrimage to Amarnath shrine was discussed at Home Minister Amit Shah’s high level meeting on Kashmir on Friday.
(Manas Dasgupta)