Covid fear cuts Amarnath Yatra to 2 weeks, pilgrimage will be only via helicopter

Govt had cancelled the yatra in April, but Amarnath shrine board called for a future review of the decision. Announcement on new rules likely next week.

File photo of Pilgrims are on their way to Amarnath cave | PTI

Srinagar: The central government, in consultation with the Jammu and Kashmir civil administration, has decided to curtail this year’s Shri Amarnathji Yatra in view of the growing number of Covid-19 cases across the country, ThePrint has learnt.

An official announcement is likely to be made next week, along with standard operating procedures that need to be followed by the pilgrims as well as government officials responsible for conducting the yatra.

There had been reports about the possibility of either cancelling or curtailing the 45-day-long yatra, which usually commences in the first week of July. However, a final decision was yet to be made.

Pilgrimage through helicopter

Sources now say that the authorities concerned have arrived at a final decision that will be made public next week.

“The pilgrimage this year will only take place through helicopters. Hiking to the Amarnath cave is likely to be halted this year owing to social distancing guidelines that are supposed to be followed by countries due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Pilgrims wishing to take the yatra through the Baltal route will only be able to do so through helicopters,” a central government source told ThePrint.

The yatra is likely to begin on 21 July and conclude on 3 August, the source added. This is the second time in recent history that the pilgrimage has been curtailed — the first being last year, when the J&K government advised yatris and tourists to leave J&K ahead of the scrapping of Article 370.

“The yatra will take place through one route as opposed to two, and will be curtailed from from two months to two weeks,” the official further said.

Officials said pilgrims will be flown in by helicopter from Baltal base camp in Ganderbal district to the Amarnath cave. The other route used by the yatris, through Pahalgam in the southern part of the Valley, has been closed this year.

A senior J&K government official said the central government, the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) and the J&K administration have been in consultation for the last month, but a decision had not been reached. The SASB is an autonomous body chaired by the Lieutenant Governor of J&K, and other senior government officials as part of its board.

The official added that the Covid-19 crisis, coupled with the tense situation prevailing at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in neighbouring Ladakh, has now prompted authorities to rethink their strategy. Earlier, the official said, there was a difference of opinion on whether to hold the yatra or not. While the administration was leaning towards cancellation of the yatra, the SASB was resistant to the idea.

Yatra had been cancelled

The J&K government had, on 22 April, announced that the yatra had been cancelled this year after an SASB board meeting over Covid fears, but moments later, another statement had said the SASB expressed apprehension and asked for an appropriate decision after a future review.

Now the difference of opinion had been resolved, the official quoted above said. “People with differing views have reached middle ground. So, the yatra will only be for two weeks and will only be carried out by helicopters,” the official said.