The Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board authorities have almost made up their mind to cancel the annual pilgrimage to the cave shrine of Amarnath located at a height of  around 13,000 feet in the South Kashmir district of Anantnag in the wake of prevailing situation due to Covid-19 pandemic.

The yatra was scheduled to begin from June 28.   

A formal announcement is expected to be made soon by the Shrine board functionaries after convening the meeting of the board members. 

According to highly placed sources in the Union territory Administration, “an understanding has been reached between the senior officers responsible for the conduct of the yatra to suspend the pilgrimage”. The officers are learnt to have discussed different options including curtailed yatra but in the end a unanimous decision was taken to prevent the mass assembly of pilgrims from different states to prevent it from becoming a super spreader event.

According to highly placed sources, “Chairman of the Shrine Board Lt Governor Manoj Sinha has also been  briefed about the prevailing ground situation and the available options before the final announcement”.

However, keeping in mind the sentiments of worshippers of lord Shiva, the traditional rituals shall be carried out in the presence of saints  at the shrine without any interruption. The yatra remained suspended last year also due to the similar circumstances.

The Shrine board is also expected to continue the live telecast/ virtual darshan of the morning and evening Aarti from the holy cave shrine. The Shrine board authorities had launched online registration of the pilgrims across different centres of Punjab National Bank. The same was,however, suspended on April 22 in the wake of a surge in the number of cases of Coronavirus.