Authorities have suspended this year’s annual Amarnath Yatra, just a week before its scheduled conclusion, due to the need for maintenance on the tracks that were damaged by recent heavy rainfall, officials said on Saturday.

The Yatra, which began on July 3, was scheduled to conclude on August 9 on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan. However, authorities decided to shorten it by a week, citing “critical repair and maintenance works” to be undertaken in the wake of the heavy rainfall.

“Due to recent heavy rainfall and the need for track maintenance along both the Baltal and Pahalgam axes of the Shri Amarnathji Yatra route, the Yatra movement has been closed on both the tracks,” Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Vijay Kumar Bidhuri, said.