JAMMU: A fresh batch of 1,605 pilgrims departed from the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in Jammu early Friday for the Baltal base camp to undertake the annual Shri Amarnath Yatra, even as vehicular movement on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH-44) remained suspended for emergency restoration and slope stabilisation works.
According to the Joint Police Control Room (JPCR), the 24th batch left at 2:42 a.m. in a convoy of 54 vehicles comprising 38 buses, seven medium motor vehicles (MMVs) and nine light motor vehicles (LMVs).
The batch included 1,215 male pilgrims, 335 women, 48 sadhus, five sadhvis and two children accompanying sadhus. With the departure of the latest convoy, the total number of pilgrims who have left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp for this year’s pilgrimage has reached 1,35,806.
Officials said the Yatra convoy crossed the affected stretches of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway before the traffic suspension came into effect.
Meanwhile, traffic on NH-44 remained completely suspended on Friday following separate orders issued by the district administrations of Udhampur and Ramban to facilitate extensive road restoration, debris clearance and slope stabilisation works.
The repair works are being carried out at vulnerable locations, including Gangroo, Kishtwari Pathar and Samroli-Ladha in Udhampur district.
Authorities said the temporary suspension of traffic was necessary to ensure public safety and enable the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to undertake critical restoration works for the safe reopening of the strategic highway.
