Srinagar, June 28 : Bad weather along both the north and south Kashmir routes of Baltal and Pahalgam on Thursday halted the Amarnath Yatra that officially started earlier in the day.

"It has been raining along both Baltal and Pahalgam treks to the Cave Shrine since early morning. Pilgrims camped at Baltal and Nunwan (Pahalgam) base camps have been advised not to proceed till the weather improves," an official said.

"All the pilgrims are safe and a decision on allowing them to proceed further will be taken later," he added.

Officially, the annual Amarnath Yatra began around 4 a.m. with the second batch of 3,425 pilgrims leaving Jammu for the two base camps in the Kashmir Valley.

"Pilgrims left in two groups: The first group of yatris left Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas at 3.55 a.m. in an escorted convoy for Baltal base camp and the other group left at 4.20 a.m. for Pahalgam base camp. Thursday's batch included 2,679 males, 592 females, three children and 151 Sadhus, the police said.

The 60-day long Amarnath Yatra will end on August 26, coinciding with the Shravan Purnima festival.

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



New Delhi: Since the closure of airspace in West Asia, Indian airlines have brought back around 15,000 stranded passengers from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Oman.

According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation (India), recovery flights began on March 2. These figures cover operations through March 5. On Friday, March 6, a total of 40 inbound flights returned people to India.


As many as 51 flights are scheduled to arrive on Saturday, March 7 which is the highest number since airstrikes in the region began on February 28, according to The Hindu.

Besides Indian carriers, Gulf airlines are also engaged in the airlifting activity. The Emirates, flydubai and Etihad Airways have operated some special flights and limited commercial services.

The ministry has set up a control room and helpline for passengers seeking travel assistance and can be contacted on 011-24604283 and 011-24632987.