The Kinner-Kailash Yatra has been suspended for the rest of this year until further notice, owing to extremely bad weather conditions. The pilgrimage is essentially a snow-bound trek and weather changes significantly alter the shape of the entire course.
The Kinnaur district administration has issued a warning according to which every tourist would need to take authorised permission before commencing the yatra. Failing to do so will restrict the person from taking the religious trek. The steps came in as the after-effects of death of two people, who initiated the trek illegally.
According to the reports, Kinner-Kailash Yatra 2019 will revive only once all weather conditions and forecast seem safe. Until an opening date is announced, no one is allowed to embark on the trip.
Kinner-Kailash stands at an altitude of around 21000 ft and concludes at a 79 ft vertical rock shivlingam at the peak of the mountain. Heavy snowfall in the area recently has made it very difficult to trek without safety measures and gear, posing a high risk to trekkers. The two trekkers who lost their lives belonged from a group of five and they headed towards Kinner-Kailash without informing the authorities.
In 2018, heavy rainfall forced the district administration to halt the pilgrimage midway after 100 tourists were left stranded near the cave. Rescue missions were then put in place and the pilgrims were brought back to safety.
If reports are to be believed, the new imposed policies may soon make it mandatory for the tour operators that organise treks in the district, to be registered with the tourism department. They may also be required to submit a list of trekkers at the nearest police station before proceeding with the journey. Once the trek is complete, they should submit the list of trekkers in the group again at the police station to ensure safety of travellers and to avoid unprecedented accidents.
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