JAMMU, JULY 25: Militants' plan to blow up vehicles, carrying Amarnath pilgrims from Jammu to Pahalgam, was foiled by detecting a powerful improvised explosive device (IED) between Nashri and Peda on Jammu-Srinagar national highway, the police said here on Sunday.A road opening party (ROP) early Sunday morning detected the IED which was planted by militants between Nashri and Peda areas of Batote-Ramban axis on the highway. The IED was immediately defused by experts, police said.The second batch of 3,242 pilgrims left from Jammu, Nagrot and Udhampur areas in 196 vehicles early Sunday morning for onward journey to Pahalgam, the base camp of holy cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas.The fleet of vehicles, including 55 passenger buses, 20 trucks, 117 light motor vehicles, left Jammu amidst tight security.Most of the pilgrims, including more than 100 sadhus, belonged to Gujarat, Maharashtra and East Bengal, police said. With the second batch of 3,242 pilgrims, a total number of 5,014 pilgrimshave left Jammu for Pahalgam. As many as 1,772 pilgrims have already reached safely to Pahalgam on Saturday evening, they added.The commencement of pilgrimage was delayed by three days from July 21 to 24 due to non-availability of security arrangements. According to J&K tourism department officials, as many as 63,245 pilgrims have so far been registered with different centres of tourism department inside and outside Jammu and Kashmir.Giving break up of the pilgrims registered, the tourism department officials said more than 40,000 Gujaratis and Bengalis have been registered.They said special arrangements have been made for boarding, lodging, transport and security of the pilgrims in Jammu and also enroute to Pahalgam.So far, 57 langers (community kitchens) have been set up in different areas enroute to Amarnath cave shrine from base camp, Pahalgam, they added.Meanwhile, according to Met officials, the weather in Jammu, Udhampur, Banihal sector would remain cloudy with rains at variousplaces while light showers are likely to occur at one or two places on Banihal, Pahalgam and the cave track.
