A fresh batch of 2,051 pilgrims departed from the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in Jammu early Wednesday for the Baltal base camp to undertake the annual Shri Amarnath Yatra under multi-layer security arrangements, officials said.
According to the Joint Police Control Room, the 22nd batch left at 2:45 a.m. in a convoy of 82 vehicles comprising 48 buses, eight medium motor vehicles (MMVs), 25 light motor vehicles (LMVs) and one two-wheeler.
The batch includes 1,570 male pilgrims, 369 women, two children, 58 sadhus, 21 sadhvis, one child sadhu and 30 foreign nationals, including 14 men and 16 women.
Officials said all the pilgrims are travelling via the Baltal route, while no convoy was scheduled for the traditional Pahalgam route.
The convoy is proceeding towards the Baltal base camp under tight security and is expected to cross the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway subject to traffic movement and weather conditions.
With the departure of the latest batch, the total number of pilgrims who have left the Jammu base camp for the holy cave shrine during this year’s Shri Amarnath Yatra has reached 1,32,406, officials added.
