Sixteen days after Chadi Mubarak Yatra left Srinagar for the Holy Cave and two days after Defence Minister visited the cave shrine, Jammu and Kashmir government on Tuesday cancelled this year’s Amarnath Yatra in wake of the coronavirus pandemic. At the 39th Board meeting of the shrine chaired by Lieutenant Governor Girish Chandra Murmu, it was decided to cancel the annual Hindu pilgrimage this year “in larger public interest”.
“The Board was informed that the arrangements were on track since February 2020, but due to nationwide lockdown and the pandemic, the State Executive Committee, J&K has still continued to keep religious places and places of worship closed for the public. These prohibitions continue till 31st July,” said a government press release.
“Based upon the circumstances, the Board decided with heavy heart that it is not advisable to hold and conduct this year’s Amarnath Yatra and expressed its regret to announce the cancellation of Yatra 2020,” the SASB said in a statement. It said the board will, however, live telecast the ‘virtual darshan’ of the prayers twice a day.
Last week, the Supreme Court had declined to entertain a plea seeking its intervention to restrain public participation in the Amarnath Yatra and left it for the administration to decide, keeping in view the relevant factors. Citing a sharp spike in the coronavirus cases in July, the J&K administration said holding the Amarnath Yatra will put immense strain on the health care system.
“Administration at the moment is on containing the local transmission of the COVID-19 pandemic….(holding the yatra) would also unnecessarily put the yatris at risk of catching the COVID-19,” it said.
Cancelling the Amarnath Yatra this year would instead “enable the Health, Civil and Police Administrations to focus on the immediate challenges facing them rather than diverting resources, manpower and attention to the conduct of the Amarnath Yatra,” according to the statement.
Earlier this month, the UT administration had allowed a maximum of 500 pilgrims to undertake the pilgrimage on Baltal route. Last year, more than 5,000 pilgrims each were allowed to proceed daily to the cave during the yatra from Baltal and Pahalgam routes. On 5th July, on the occasion of Vyas Poornima, Chadi Mubarak Yatra left Srinagar for Pahalgam towards the cave temple. It is yet not clear whether sadhus will be allowed to go to cave or they too will be stopped from moving ahead.