SASB suspends registration of Amarnath yatra due to COVID

By PTI

JAMMU: Registration of pilgrims for the upcoming annual pilgrimage to the cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas has been being temporarily suspended on Thursday due to the COVID-19 situation, officials said.

The offline and online registration for the annual Amarnath Yatra through Baltal and Chandanwari routes will begin from April 1 and April 15 respectively.

The 56-day yatra to the 3,880-metre-high shrine is scheduled to start from the twin routes of Pahalgam and Baltal on June 28 and culminate on August 22.

“In view of the evolving COVID situation in the country and the need to take all necessary precautionary measures, registration for Shri Amarnath ji Yatra is being temporarily suspended,” the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) announced on its Twitter handle on Thursday.

It further said that the situation is being constantly monitored and the registration would be reopened once the situation improves.

Registration started from April 1 for both the routes through 446 designated bank branches — Punjab National Bank (316), the Jammu and Kashmir Bank (90) and the YES Bank (40) — all over the country.

Nitishwar Kumar, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) confirmed the development and said that the situation is being constantly monitored and the registration would be reopened once the situation improves.