Srinagar: The annual Amarnath pilgrimage will not take place this year due to COVID-19 pandemic, the lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha said on Monday. 

The decision was announced by LG of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha after discussions with the shrine board, reports said.

LG Manoj Sinha in a tweet said, “Amarnathji Yatra cancelled in wake of Covid-19 Pandemic. Decision after threadbare discussion with Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board members. Yatra to be symbolic only. However, all the traditional religious rituals shall be performed at the Holy Cave Shrine as per past practice.”

He added, “It’s important to save people’s lives. So, it is not advisable to hold and conduct this year’s pilgrimage in the larger public interest”.

The 56-day yatra to the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine of Lord Shiva, located in the upper reaches of Himalayas, is scheduled to start from the twin routes of Pahalgam and Baltal on June 28 and culminate on August 22.

The pilgrimage was cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic.

Last week, Manoj Sinha attended a meeting called by Union Home Minister Amit Shah to take stock of the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, besides development initiatives. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, top security and intelligence officers of central government and Jammu and administration were a part of the meeting.