Srinagar, July 6 : Over 67,000 devotees have visited the Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas since the start of the annual pilgrimage five days ago, officials said on Wednesday.
However, the lack of facilities at the shrine has created anger among some devotees. They have complained about the shortage of toilets, drinking water, and medical facilities.
Some devotees have also complained about the long queues at the shrine. They say that they have to wait for hours to pay their respects to the naturally-formed ice-lingam.
The authorities have said that they are working to improve the facilities at the shrine. However, they have appealed to the devotees to be patient.
"We are working to improve the facilities at the shrine. We have deployed more staff and we are providing more water and food. We are also working to reduce the queues," said an official.
The Amarnath Yatra is one of the most popular pilgrimages in India. It is estimated that over 3 lakh devotees will visit the shrine this year.
The pilgrimage is scheduled to end on August 11.
Here are some of the reactions from devotees:
- "The lack of facilities is a major problem. We have to wait for hours to use the toilets and there is not enough drinking water. The authorities need to do something about this." - A devotee from Delhi
- "The queues are too long. We have been waiting for hours to pay our respects to the ice-lingam. It is very frustrating." - A devotee from Mumbai
- "The authorities need to improve the facilities at the shrine. This is a very important pilgrimage for many people and they deserve better." - A devotee from Kerala
The authorities have said that they are working to improve the facilities at the shrine. However, they have appealed to the devotees to be patient.
