‘Security arrangements to be fool proof’
Excelsior Correspodnent
SRINAGAR, Apr 11 : Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry Secretary Apurva Chandra today said that this year’s Shri Amarnath yatra is expected to be twice in size than before, with the Jammu and Kashmir administration preparing to welcome about 6- 8 lakh pilgrims.
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Speaking to reporters here, Chandra said the meeting for the arrangements of the yatra, to be held after a gap of two years, was informed that this year’s Amarnath yatra is expected to be the biggest and best ever.
Chief Secretary Arun Kumar, Divisional Commissioners of Jammu and Kashmir regions, and Deputy Commissioners of various districts, participated in the meeting.
“Today, I met the officials of the administration including Divisional Commissioner and Deputy Commissioners. We were told that this year it will be a historic pilgrimage and for that all the necessary arrangements have been put in place,” Chandra said.
“Expectations are that this year’s yatra will be twice the size than ever before. They expect about 6 lakh to 8 lakh yatris,” Chandra said.
He said the arrangements put in place for the yatra will also be twice the size than the previous years. “Be it drinking water, lodging or sanitation, the whole administration is equipped to welcome such a huge number of pilgrims,” he said.
He said that the weather challenge was natural and out of the hands of officials. “But as far as security arrangement is concerned, that has already improved a lot as seen by the number of tourists visiting the Valley. Hotels, houseboats and lodges are booked in advance which signifies a good security atmosphere,” he said.
Chandra said that the LG Manoj Sinha has recently stated that in just a few months, 80 lakh tourists visited UT, which is a record number. “This itself hints that the atmosphere is peaceful,” he said. This year, the pilgrimage will start on June 30 and will remain on for 43 days.
Chandra also said that these measures taken by the Union Territory administration will be publicised in every state in different languages to attract the yatris. “We have also suggested a one or two-minute short-film showcasing not only the yatra, but other things about Kashmir, which will be shown across theatres in the country,” he said.
When asked about the security measures, Chandra said all the arrangements will be done for the security of the yatris. “The nation’s security agencies are on it. The security in Kashmir is good as can be seen by the huge number of tourist arrivals,” he said, adding that the security measures will be fool-proof.
Additional CEO of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), Rahul Singh, said RFID-based tracking and surveillance system will be implemented for the yatra.
“Once the yatris (pilgrims) enter Jammu and Kashmir, this system will be activated. This is for their safety,” he said.
He said a new ‘yatri niwas’ has been made in the Ramban district of Jammu region which can accommodate 3,000 pilgrims.
“The insurance cover this year has been increased from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 5 lakh,” Singh said.
Asked about the environmental concerns of such a huge number of yatris, the SASB additional CEO said sanitation arrangements will be made not just in yatra area, but outside the yatra area as well and the environmental concerns will be completely taken care of.
The 43-day yatra will begin on June 30 and it will culminate on August 11. The registration can be done at over 450 bank branches. It can also be done through SASB’s mobile application.
The yatra could not be organised in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and in 2019, it was cut short days before August 5, when the Centre abrogated Article 370 of the constitution.
Elucidating religious significance of Shri Amarnathji yatra, the Chief Secretary remarked that the holy yatra represents composite culture of J&K. This historic pilgrimage is being always welcomed in the Valley by people who shower their hospitality and generosity on the pilgrims thronging the UT.
Dr Mehta said that this year’s yatra will witness a record influx owing to better facilities and seamless journey experience for yatris.
Nitishwar Kumar, Principal Secretary to LG and CEO SASB, shared an overview about the preparedness for the yatra saying that “We are expecting a two fold increase in yatra this year so the administration has also put in place preparations accordingly,”. He urged upon the media units to highlight the advisories for the yatris from time to time adding that Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags will be used this year to keep a track on location of the pilgrims. He also emphasized the need to thwart misconceptions being spread about the journey.
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