Jammu, July 8 (IANS) With the weather turning hostile all along the pilgrimage route to the Amarnath cave shrine, the Jammu and Kashmir government Friday halted the trek and put the army, air force and police on high alert.

A continuous spell of rain has made the two tracks to the cave shrine, located at a height of 13,500 feet in south Kashmir, slippery and dangerous for the trek.

"In view of the sudden change in weather conditions and the forecast of heavy rains, the onward movement of the pilgrims has been stopped from Chandanwari, Sheshnag and Panjtarni (the camping areas along the Pahalgam-shrine route)," according to a senior government official. He told IANS that the weather condition and the status of pilgrims along the route was being monitored on minute-to-minute basis.

The pilgrimage was halted at 12.30 p.m. Friday.

Meanwhile, a spokesman of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board said the government has alerted the army and air force in view of the "abrupt change in the weather conditions".

"This decision has been taken in view of the safety of the pilgrims," the spokesman quoting Chief Executive Officer of the shrine board R.K. Goyal said.

Governor N.N. Vohra is chairman of the shrine board.