Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, June 15: Army would man the heights of holy cave shrine of Shri Amarnath Ji and National Highway of Jammu-Srinagar besides the roads leading to Baltal and Nunwan, Pahalgam base camps while para-military forces and police would make security arrangements for the yatris at all other places falling along the yatra routes.
Official sources told the Excelsior that all security arrangements for the annual Amarnath pilgrimage, beginning this year on June 28, have been completed and would be totally in place on June 20 i.e. about a week ahead of the start of the yatra.
“About 50 per cent security arrangements for the yatra have already been made while the rest 50 per cent would be in place on or before June 20,’’ sources said, adding that senior security officers would take a final review of the arrangements to plug the loopholes, if any, before start of the yatra on June 28 simultaneously from the base camps of Baltal and Nunwan.
They said the Army would be deployed at the Icy heights of holy cave shrine of Shri Amarnath ji and some places on the twin tracks of Baltal and Chandanwari. The Army would also man sensitive points on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway and the roads leading from Highway to Nunwan, Pahalgam and Baltal.
Rest of the places including Jammu-Pathankote National Highway, Bhagwati Niwas Yatri base camp and forward base camps of Baltal and Nunwan and other roads and lodgment centres, langars etc would be manned jointly by para-military forces and police, which have been deployed or were being deployed at these places in adequate numbers.
Sources said police authorities have mobilized the cops from existing strength by utilising reserve police forces from the battalions and Police Training Centres besides withdrawing some force from police stations of peaceful areas. The para-military forces have also been utilised mostly from existing resources within the State as the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had refused to give additional forces to the State in view of their deployment in Naxal hit areas.
First batch of the pilgrims would leave Bhagwati Niwas Yatri camp on June 27 while the yatris would start journey from Baltal and Nunwan base camps in the Kashmir Valley on June 28 when 55 days annual pilgrimage would start. The yatra would culminate on August 21 on the occasion of Sharavan Purnima and Raksha Bandhan.
In view of increase in militancy and reported infiltration of fresh group of militants from across the Line of Control (LoC) in the Kashmir Valley this summer, the security forces and police have decided not to take any chances and make adequate arrangements for the yatris.
‘While in Jammu regions including Jammu-Pathankot and Jammu-Srinagar National Highways the security arrangements would be at par with the last year, the arrangements in the Kashmir Valley including the twin tracks and base camps would be intensified with deployments of additional forces.
“Additional security in the Valley was necessitated due to slight increase in militancy though there were no specific inputs of any threat to the yatris,” sources said but maintained that the militants always posed a threat to the pilgrimage.
It may be mentioned here that Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) has already decided not to allow any unregistered yatris to the pilgrimage this year. For the registration, the yatris were required to produce Compulsory Health Certificate (CHC) issued only by the designated doctors across the country.
Only 15,000 pilgrims would be allowed a day to go for pilgrimage (7500 from each track of Baltal and Nunwan) in addition to about 1000 odd yatris, who would be going to the cave shrine by air.
Authorities have opened three on-spot registration counters at Jammu including Vaishnavi Dham and Sangam Community Hall at Railway Station and Ram Mandir at Purani Mandi. The Ram Mandir would be open for registration for Sadhus only.
However, on spot registration would depend on availability of quota and production of the Compulsory Health Certificate by the pilgrims.
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