 "More than 145,000 pilgrims offered prayers at the 3,880-metre-high Amarnath cave shrine in J&K's Anantnag district as of Friday evening | File: PTI")
Authorities have suspended this year's annual Amarnath Yatra, just a week before its scheduled conclusion, due to the need for maintenance on the tracks that were damaged by recent heavy rainfall, officials said on Saturday.
The yatra, which began on July 3, was scheduled to conclude on August 9 on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan. However, authorities decided to shorten it by a week, citing "critical repair and maintenance works" to be undertaken in the wake of the heavy rainfall.
"Due to recent heavy rainfall and the need for track maintenance along both the Baltal and Pahalgam axes of the Shri Amarnathji Yatra route, the yatra movement has been closed on both the tracks," Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Vijay Kumar Bidhuri, said here.
"It has been observed that due to the continued deployment of men and machinery on the tracks from tomorrow, we would not be able to resume the yatra. The yatra will therefore remain suspended from 3rd August onwards from both the routes," he explained further.
Bidhuri noted that this year, over 410,000 yatris visited the holy cave shrine.
In comparison, last year saw more than 510,000 pilgrims pay their respects at the shrine.
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