Amarnath shrine now accessible by motorable road: All you need to know

In what will make reaching Amarnath far easier for devotees, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has expanded road connectivity to the holy shrine with the first batch of vehicles recently reaching here.

News agency PTI reported that the first batch of vehicles reached the Amarnath recently, marking a significant step in enhancing connectivity to the cave shrine. So far, the Amarnath trek or Amarnath Yatra had to be either undertaken on foot or on animal back. Chopper services to the shrine began from 2004 as well. But this is the first time vehicles can reach till here.

The BRO undertook what is being described as a herculean task by widening the road between Dumail to the Amarnath cave situated at an altitude of 3,888 meters via Baltal base camp in Ganderbal district of central Kashmir. Previously, it was the Jammu and Kashmir government's Public Works Department (PWD) that was responsible for maintaining the Baltal route in the Ganderbal district while ahalgam Development Authority (PDA) maintained the Pahalgam route in the Anantnag district. This was handed over to BRO in September of 2022.

Officials have highlighted that with the motorable road, the pilgrimage would become significantly easier for devotees. “Project Beacon is involved in restoration and improvement of Amarnath Yatra tracks. Border Roads personnel completed the formidable task and created history with first set of vehicles reaching the holy cave," the BRO informed.

There has been some criticism too with former J&K chief minister and National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah pointing to potential environmental impact. “To provide some ease is one thing, but there is a dire need to have a re-look at the matter. Taking vehicles to such places is akin to destroying them," he said. “Since the yatra has started, people from here have carried the yatris on their shoulders and will continue to do so. Playing with our environment in such a way is not good."

Abdullah also questioned the need for the road. "Since the beginning of the pilgrimage, people of Kashmir have taken yatris on their backs.We will keeping doing it in future as well," he said.