Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR/JAMMU, July 18: On the 20th day of darshan 5,826 Yatris paid obeisance at the holy cave of Swami Amarnath in South Kashmir district of Anantnag taking the total number of pilgrims performing darshan at the cave shrine since the beginning of the pilgrimage to 2,16,555.
According to an official spokesman, 5000 pilgrims left for holy cave from the twin base camps of Nunwan, Pahalgam in South Kashmir district of Anantnag and Baltal, Sonamarg in Ganderbal district of Central Kashmir.
He said 2721 pilgrims left the Baltal base camp via shortest seven kilometer Dumel track to holy cave early this morning while 2298 left via traditional 45 km long Chandanwari -Sheshnag track from Nunwan, Pahalgam base camp to holy cave.
In addition to the pilgrims having night halt at Sheshnag and Panchtarni halting stations also left for holy cave early this morning.
He said the out of 2.16 lakh pilgrims who had performed darshan in holy cave till date majority had returned to their home states while rest are on the way. The yatra is proceeding smoothly from both the tracks, he added.
Meanwhile, a fresh batch of 2224 pilgrims left Jammu Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas for the twin base camps of Baltal and Nunwan early this morning under tight security arrangements. The yatris chanting Bam Bam Bholey and Baba Barfani Ki jai left in a cavalcade of 85 vehicles including 39 buses and 46 LMVs.
These yatris had crossed the Jawahar Tunnel by this afternoon. Spokesman said hundreds of yatris had reached the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas by this evening to leave for the twin base camps early tomorrow.
Meanwhile Governor N.N. Vohra, Chairman of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB), reviewed with Umang Narula, CEO of the Board the arrangements of the yatra especially in view of the natural deaths and recent fatal road accidents at Banihal claiming 17 lives.
CEO informed Chairman that during 29th June – 16th July, 19 pilgrims had died due to medical reasons and 20 pilgrims were killed in accidents. And , on July, 10 eight pilgrims had been killed in a terrorist attack on the bus in which they were travelling. CEO stated that, in view of the circumstances leading to the killing of pilgrims in this terror attack, a decision has been taken to enhance the scale of ex-gratia relief paid to the next of their kin. He further stated that, as per Chairman’s directions, CEO had ensured that all costs for sending the mortal remains by air to the home towns of the pilgrims, in whatever circumstances they had died, were borne by the Shrine Board. In 37 cases the Board had also borne the cost of providing an escort / attendant to deliver the coffin to the deceased pilgrim’s home town. Till today, the Board had incurred Rs. 14,66,975 on account of transportation costs and Rs.1,34,75,000 towards payment of ex-gratia relief.
As regard the 16 pilgrims killed on July 16 in an accident, near Banihal, when an SRTC bus went into a Khud, CEO informed that, as earlier decided by the Chairman, the coffins of the killed pilgrims, along with the escorting attendants, had been sent to their home towns yesterday by Air India and Indigo flights. As earlier discussed by CEO with Governor, besides attendants from among pilgrims, J&K Police personnel have also been deputed to accompany the dead bodies. The mortal remains of 12 deceased Yatris were transported by air to the nearest airports in the States of Bihar, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, from where the coffins are being transported in ambulances to their native places. The coffins of 3 killed pilgrims were transported in Ambulances to Sikar (Rajasthan), Panipat (Haryana) and R.S. Pura (Jammu). The mortal remains of one deceased female Yatri, Chaya Devi, wife of Vijay Chourasiya Singh, resident of Bihar, have been kept in the mortuary at Jammu as her husband and son, both of whom had got injured in the Ramsoo road accident, are still undergoing medical treatment at Jammu.
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