64000 register for Shri Amarnath yatra
Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Apr 20:Principal Secretary to Lt Governor, Niteshwar Kumar today visited Pahalgam to review the arrangements for the annual holy Amarnath yatra starting from June 30 this year from both Chandanwari and Baltal tracks.
The 43 -days yatra will culminate on August 11 the day coinciding with Raksha Bandhan and Shravan Purnima festivals.
Niteshwar Kumar was accompanied by Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir P K Pole, DIG Anantnag, DC Anantnag, SSP Anantnag, CEO, Pahalgam Development Authority (PDA) and other officers of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB).
The Principal Secretary to LG gave thrust how to create better facilities for the pilgrims during this year’s Amarnath pilgrimage enroute to holy cave and increasing the yatra holding capacity at base camps and other spots enroute the cave shrine.
He visited Jawahar Mountaineering Institute Pahalgam and Tourist Complex Yanar down-streams Pahalgam to see that how the assets of these two organisations can be best utilized for holding of yatra and providing tenting facilities there. He also visited Sarbal frisking point and gave instructions of doubling the existing six rows to 12 rows so that more people can pass through this spot in view of the yatris number likely to exceed this year from previous highest record.
Niteshwar Kumar gave instructions to the Pahalgam Development Authority (PDA) to pace up the snow clearance with full speed on Chandanwari holy cave track. He also gave instructions to all concerned departments to speed up the work for creating facilities for the pilgrims including sanitation, drinking water and other facilities. Niteswar Kumar, while taking detailed update of security arrangements for the upcoming yatra stressed on upgrading security system enroute the yatra tracks as well as base camps. The Government is expecting that the yatra which remained closed for last two years due to COVID pandemic will cross the previous six lakh record this time.
Earlier, the Principal Secretary visited Walnut Factory Qazigund in Kulgam district and Mir Bazar FCI building to ascertain the holding capacity of pilgrims there.
He will visit Baltal tomorrow and review arrangements along the track there.
According to sources Lt Governor, Manoj Sinha who is the Chairman of SASB has given the deadline of clearing both the tracks by June 15 so that yatra can be started smoothly by June 30 but the officials are confident that both the tracks will be ready before the middle of the June.
Meanwhile, 64000 pilgrims have been registered online since the yatra registration started on April 11 this year through four banks i.e State Bank of India (SBI) Punjab National Bank (PNB), Jammu and Kashmir Bank (JKB) and Yes Bank all over country.
It may be recalled previously registration was held by only three banks and SBI was included this year on the directives of LG, Manoj Sinha.
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