Kailash-Mansarovar yatra unlikely to resume this year, say officials

Yatra was halted after the coronavirus outbreak two years ago

The resumption of the Kailash-Mansarovar yatra, which was suspended after COVID-19 broke out two year ago, looks uncertain this year too as the nodal agency for the pilgrimage has received no instructions from the government regarding its preparations.

Normally, the Ministry of External Affairs holds a meeting with the Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN) Limited, the nodal agency for the yatra, and the Pithoragarh District Administration in January itself to discuss the preparations for the pilgrimage.

The yatra which goes through the Lipulekh Pass in Pithoragarh district was suspended in 2020 after the pandemic struck, and the suspension continued through 2021. With a drop in COVID-19 cases in recent months, officials were hoping that the yatra might begin this year.

"Earlier, preparations for the yatra used to begin from January onwards after receiving instructions from the External Affairs Ministry, but this year we are still waiting for it. No more time is left for preparations now," KMVN general manager A. P. Bajpai said.

"Till date, we have received no instructions regarding the yatra from anywhere," Pithoragarh District Magistrate Ashish Chauhan added.

"Even if we receive the instructions now, it will be difficult to meet the deadline as the yatra begins from the first week of June," he said.