Vaishno Devi pilgrimage suspended till 5 am as devotees overflow

Vaishno Devi pilgrimage from Katra has been suspended till 5 a.m. as the number of devotees crossed the 50,000 mark on New Year's Eve.

Only 49,907 devotees were finally allowed to begin their pilgrimage, according to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board.

The move comes after National Green Tribunal (NGT) put a cap on the number of devotees to 50,000 per day, in a directive issued in November.

This year, as per official records, 80 lakh devotees have visited the holy shrine, which is three lakh higher than previous two years.

In 2016, the number was 77,23,721 and in 2015, it was 77,76,604.

The numbers spilled over the limit as many devotees wished to ring in the new year by paying their obeisance at the Vaishno Devi shrine.