Overview

• The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board announced a halt from Sunday through Tuesday with a tentative restart on October 8 subject to weather conditions.
• Kishtwar’s district magistrate ordered a concurrent three-day suspension of the Machail Mata pilgrimage, prohibiting movement toward the shrine.
• Authorities cited forecasts of very heavy rain with risks that include landslides, flooding and cloudbursts across vulnerable stretches.
• Route monitoring and additional rescue teams are deployed, and devotees are urged to rely on official updates and defer travel plans.
• Heightened caution follows August disasters, including a landslide near Adhkuwari that killed 34 people and injured about 20.