More men & machinery pressed into service
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, May 7: Even as Shri Amarnath Ji Shrine Board (SASB) set the process of registration of pilgrims in motion today, heavy damage to its infrastructure at both Baltal and Nunwan base camps has been reported in the snowfall. The Board and other authorities were pressing additional men and machinery to raise the infrastructure before starting operation for clearance of the twin tracks.
Official sources told the Excelsior that infrastructure of the SASB, police and some other agencies has suffered massive damage in the snowfall. Police infrastructure has been totally wiped out while two structure of the Shrine Board have been gutted at Baltal, the shorter route to holy cave shrine of Baba Amarnath ji.
Meanwhile, SASB CEO Navin Choudhary today said two more Post Offices, Jammu Main and Kathua Main have also been designated for registration of yatris from May 15 taking total number of designated Post Offices (for registration of yatris) from 100 to 102.
“Position of track is very bad. Most of the structures were snow bound. A number of structures have been damaged”, sources said, adding the re-construction of structures has started where snow has been cleared including the base camps of Baltal and Nunwan while it would start at other places, mainly on the twin tracks when snow started melting and clearance operations were undertaken by the authorities.
“Hopefully, we will be able to start the yatra in time on June 25”, they said but added that men and machinery in large strength were required along both routes to clear the track going by the heavy snowfall received on the two routes this winter.
According to sources, security deployment at Baltal and Nunwan (Pahalgam) base camps would start as soon as areas were cleared of snow and damaged structures were raised again. However, deployment of Army, para-military and police at Shri Amarnath Ji shrine in South Kashmir Himalayas would start in the middle of June and would be completed well ahead of June 25 when the pilgrimage would start.
The annual yatra was scheduled to end on August 2 on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has already sanctioned additional 74 companies of para-military Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) for deployment in the State for security of Amarnath pilgrims. The additional companies would start reaching here in June and would be deployed a week ahead of yatra.
While Army would man heights of Shri Amarnath ji shrine and some parts of Nunwan and Pahalgam tracks, CRPF and other para-military forces along with Jammu and Kashmir police would be deployed on the twin tracks, base camps of Baltal and Nunwan in Kashmir, Bhagwati Nagar in Jammu and National Highway of Jammu-Pathankot and Jammu-Srinagar.
Meanwhile, the SASB has decided to register 10,000 pilgrims daily (5000 each for Nunwan and Pahalgam tracks) through Jammu and Kashmir Bank, Yes Bank and Co-operative Bank branches. The registration through these banks started today.
Registration through 100 Post Offices, mostly in rural areas of the country, would start on May 15, sources said, adding the Post Offices would register 2000 pilgrims daily (1000 for each track).
Sources said the pilgrimage this year would be strictly confined to the registered yatris and no unregistered pilgrims would be allowed to proceed to the shrine from any track.
“The unregistered yatris wouldn’t be allowed at any cost. The people intending to perform yatra should register themselves properly through designated branches of the banks and Post Offices to avoid inconvenience to them”, sources said.
The J&K Bank president and Zonal Head Jammu (Central) OP Sharma today formally inaugurated registration process. He said 121 branches of J&K Bank would register yatris across the country.
The yatris can also register themselves online through J&K Bank’s website http://yatra.jkbank.net.
The J&K Bank can register 3305 pilgrims per day per route and has been authorized a total of 2,54,485 registrations.
In Jammu division, the registration facilities were available at J&K Bank’s branches at Bakshi Nagar, Gandhi Nagar, Kathua Main, Udhampur, Ramban, Rajouri Main, Poonch and Doda Main.
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