Mata Vaishno Devi Yatra Resumes After 3-Day Halt, Highway Partially Reopened

Jammu, Oct 8: Pilgrimages to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district resumed on Wednesday after a three-day suspension caused by heavy rainfall and snowfall in high-altitude areas. The resumption comes alongside partial reopening of the 270-km Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, which had been closed due to landslides, and reopening of all government and private schools in the region.

A spokesperson for the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board confirmed that all registration counters opened at 6 am, allowing hundreds of devotees to depart from the base camp at Katra toward the shrine. The Machail Mata Yatra in Kishtwar district also restarted on Wednesday following improved weather conditions.

Traffic authorities said that although the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH-44) has not been fully restored, one-way movement of light motor vehicles from Srinagar to Jammu was allowed in affected stretches, including Tharad (Udhampur), Nashri-Dalwas, and the Marog-Kishtwari Pather section in Ramban.

Additionally, the Mughal Road connecting Poonch and Rajouri with Shopian district in south Kashmir has been cleared of snow at Peer Ki Gali and is open for light vehicles from both sides. However, the Kishtwar-Sinthan-Anantnag road remains closed due to snow accumulation at Sinthan Top, officials added.