JAMMU: An official said on Friday that More than 4.28 lakh pilgrims have undertaken the Amarnath Yatra so far this year, surpassing the last year’s total with nearly three weeks still to go before the pilgrimage ends.The 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam path in Anantnag and the 14-km Baltal route in Ganderbal district were the two routes used for the 62-day pilgrimage to the cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas. It is expected to end on August 31, which also happens to be Raksha Bandhan. Up till Thursday night, 4,28,318 visitors visited the 3,880-meter subterranean sanctuary to pay their respects. The official reported that this year’s footfall has already topped last year’s tally of 3,04,493 visitors. He claimed that even while the number of visitors to the shrine each day has recently decreased, even after the naturally formed ice Shivlingam at the cave melted on July 23. The yatra has been proceeding without incident despite extensive security measures taken by police, central armed police forces, and the administration. He added that so far this year, 44 pilgrims had passed away during the yatra as a result of medical issues, compared to 71 last year.According to the official, advanced technical instruments, including as drones, have been deployed, and quick response teams, avalanche rescue teams, medical teams, and NDRF teams have ensured that devotees may travel safely across the challenging mountainous terrain. According to the official, the holy cave was also visited by foreign pilgrims during the yatra from the US, Nepal, Singapore, Malaysia, and South Korea. Other notable individuals from various walks of life, such as spiritual leader Jagadguru Ramanandacharya Swami, badminton player Saina Nehwal, and Bollywood actor Sara Ali Khan, also paid a visit. On July 26, all yatra base camps observed Kargil Diwas, which commemorates the triumph of Indian troops over Pakistani forces in the 1999 conflict.He added that, for the most part, the weather has been good. Despite the massive influx of pilgrims this year, the radio frequency identification (RFID) management has been strong, the official stated. On Friday morning, no additional group of pilgrims departed for Kashmir from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu. Although the authorities gave no explanation for why the yatra from the Jammu base camp was suspended for the day, sources said the yatra from Jammu is likely to operate on alternate days because fewer pilgrims are travelling to the city.
