Yatra going smoothly, record 2.20 lakh had darshan

Srinagar: A record number of about 2.20 lakh pilgrims, majority of them unregistered, had darshan of the self made Ice Shivlingam in the holy cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas during the first two weeks, and despite cloudy sky, the pilgrimage was going smoothly from shortest Baltal and traditional Pahalgam tracks.
Officials said fresh batches of pilgrims today left from shortest Baltal and traditional Pahalam routes for the cave shrine despite cloudy weather. The yatra was going smoothly, they said.
Official sources said due to lack of coordination between the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), security forces, state police and other agencies, the number of unregistered pilgrims visiting the holy cave has increased with every passing day since the commencement of the 46-day-long yatra from June 29.
Against total 2.52 lakh registered yatris about 2.2 lakh pilgrims had darshan of the Shivlingam during the first 11 days.
Yesterday, about 400 pilgrims staged a dharna at Malroo on Srinagar-Bandipora road, alleging that they were not being allowed to move towards Baltal. The agitated pilgrims later blocked traffic on the highway for some time, alleging mismanagement.
If unregistered pilgrims have flooded base camps, what is our fault, they said adding that they have valid yatra permit.
Due to unprecedented rush of pilgrims, the ice Shivlingam has also started melting, a yatri Pawan Kumar from Himachal Pradesh said.
The SASB has appealed time and again yatris to undetake the pilgrimage only after obtaining yatra permit, which enable them an insurance cover of Rs one lakh free of cost.
It will also help the smooth conduct of the pilgrimage, the SASB added.