In view of the recent incidents of cloudbursts that have claimed several lives in the Jammu region, the district administration of Doda on Tuesday barred women and children from participating in the 3-day annual Kailash Yatra that will begin tomorrow. The yatra will be a symbolic one with restrictions on the number of pilgrims.
The Kailash pilgrimage is in the Bhaderwah sub-division of Doda with a 21-km difficult trek.
The decision was announced by the Deputy Commissioner, Doda, Harvinder Singh. “Safety and security of devotees will be kept as topmost priority”, he said.
The restrictions on participation of women and children have been imposed due to safety concerns and in view of recent cloudburst incidents at Kishtwar and Kathua and inclement weather.
The DC said that the Yatra will proceed only via the traditional route—Sungli, Nalthi & Drafda (Bhalla). The Chattergala route has been closed for pilgrims as it is vulnerable to heavy streams and unsafe terrain.
The Chhari Mubarak (holy mace) will accompany the group of yatris for a symbolic Yatra, ensuring that the rituals are performed.
Every pilgrim must carry a valid ID card issued by the District Administration, the DC said.
A comprehensive deployment strategy has been chalked out for the safety of the pilgrims.
Officials, medical facilities, disaster preparedness, water, shelter, communication and security personnel will be deployed at all major points.
These restrictions were imposed after three rounds of meetings with stakeholders and the decision was taken to allow only Charri Mubarak with designated yatris.
DC appealed to devotees to follow the advisories strictly for their own safety. He assured that administration, police, health & disaster management teams are fully committed to a safe, smooth and spiritually fulfilling Yatra.
Kailash Yatra 2025 shall be conducted in a safe & symbolic manner, upholding devotion while ensuring the well-being of every participant, he added.
At least 67 Machail Mata pilgrims were killed and about 88 are missing after a cloudburst on 14 August in the Kishtwar district.
Seven people, including five children, were on Sunday killed in another cloudburst in Kathua.
All government and private schools across the Jammu division were shut till today as a safety measure in view of the adverse weather advisory.