Home ministry reviews situation ahead of Amarnath Yatra

New Delhi, June 11 (IANS) With snowfall affecting the preparations for the Amarnath Yatra, the union home ministry Monday said it was aware of the concerns for the timely commencement of the pilgrimage and was reviewing the situation keeping in mind the safety of the pilgrims.

"The government is aware of the concerns of pilgrims for the timely commencement of the annual pilgrimage to the Shri Amarnath Shrine and is reviewing the situation keeping in mind the safety of the pilgrims. All necessary steps are being taken in this regard," the ministry said in a statement.

It said the special secretary in the ministry had carried an aerial inspection of the pilgrimage route June 4-5 and at that time, the route was covered in snow in a number of places.

"The Governor of Jammu and Kashmir N.N. Vohra is visiting Pahalgam Monday and Baltal Tuesday to review the situation personally. The Governor had earlier reviewed the situation on June 9 and directed the authorities to take necessary steps to ensure that the Yatra commenced on time," it added.

Due to inclement weather and lack of arrangement for the pilgrims, the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) has restricted pilgrimage to the cave shrine to 39 days, beginning from June 25.

Pilgrims have been protesting curtailment of the pilgrimage from two months to 39 days.