Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 18: With arrival of para-military forces from the Centre and mobilization of companies of CRPF and police from within the State, deployment of forces for pilgrimage to holy cave shrine on Amarnath ji has nearly been completed at most of the places, which have been cleared of snow.
“Deployment of para-military and police has also started at Baltal and Nunwan base camps while CRPF and police would be deployed at Jammu base camp at Yatri Niwas in the next couple of days as pilgrims were expected to start reaching here on June 22, two days ahead of the start of yatra’’, official sources said.
The yatra would start from Jammu on June 24 and from Nunwan and Baltal base camps on June 25. It would culminate on August 2 on the occasion of Sharawan Purnima and Raksha Bandhan.
Sources said mobile towers along the yatra tracks today started functioning. During this year’s pilgrimage, the yatris would be given special SIM cards, which would operate for four days. This would help the yatris stay in touch with their family members and others even during the pilgrimage.
According to sources, deployment of security forces, para-military and police has nearly been completed along the twin tracks, base camps of Kashmir and Jammu and other sensitive places. However, deployment along Jammu-Lakhanpur and Jammu-Srinagar National Highways would be made a day ahead of the start of the yatra.
Over 2.5 lakh pilgrims have already registered themselves for the yatra while the process of registration was on and it was expected to go up further. Sources said Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) and police authorities were expecting arrival of a large number of unregistered pilgrims at the base camps, like previous years especially during the initial days when the yatra witnessed maximum rush.
Sources said Ice Lingam of Lord Shiva was in full bloom in the holy cave shrine in South Kashmir Himalayas and this would attract maximum rush of the yatris.
Repair work of the tracks at many places was still going on but, sources said, it would be completed well before start of the yatra as heavy men and machinery have been deployed for making both the tracks fit for pilgrimage.
X-ray machines have been installed at all base camps in Jammu, Nunwan and Baltal for scanning luggage of the pilgrims. Sources said all yatris would be frisked before being allowed for the yatra.
“Security arrangements this year were more tight than the previous year’’, they said, adding that Army would be manning heights of both the tracks and the cave shrine while para-military forces and police would be deployed all along the tracks, base camps and the National Highways.
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