Amid heightened security, another batch of pilgrims left for the Amarnath Yatra from Pantha Chowk base camp in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, on Sunday. Vijay Kumar, a pilgrim who came from Punjab’s Jalandhar to pay obeisance at the Amarnath Shrine located in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district, spent a night at the Base camp .

“They provided us with good facilities at the camp. Soon, a bus (carrying pilgrims) will leave for Baltal. We will return after paying our obeisance,” he told ANI.

“There is no kind of worry for the pilgrims here…,” Kumar added. Vinita Singh, who had come from Haryana said she was excited to pay obeisance. “Everything including security arrangements and facilities, is up to mark here. People here are very good”.

“We will pray for peace for everyone in the country,” she added. The Yatra, conducted by the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board, is divided into two routes: one through Pahalgam and the other through Baltal in the Ganderbal district of Kashmir. Baltal serves as the camping ground for pilgrims.

Prasad, from Bengaluru, on his fifth visit to Kashmir, expressed hope about completing the Yatra by Sunday evening. “I want to visit Kashmir every year. I appeal to everyone to come here,” said Prasad while appreciating the beauty of the valley.

The Yatra, which officially began on June 29 from the Baltal and Pahalgam base camps, is scheduled to conclude on August 19. This year, the Amarnath Yatra is taking place amidst a significant increase in terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir.