First batch of Amarnath yatris leaves Jammu today, security stepped up

Arjun Sharma

Jammu, June 27

Amid heightened security cover, the first batch of Amarnath pilgrims will start their journey towards the Kashmir Valley on Friday and special arrangements have been made for the same. To secure the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH-44), the Traffic Police have issued a cut-off time for the vehicles of pilgrims and those of security forces and others.

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is manning the highway, on which hundreds of buses and private vehicles laden with pilgrims will ply on Friday. The pilgrims will be shown green flag at 4 am at Jammu, from where they will start their journey and halt in different districts, where they will be welcomed by administrations and locals.

An intense security cover has also been laid at the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu, where batches of pilgrims will stay before proceeding towards Kashmir.

The J&K State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) is also prepared to ensure the smooth conduct of the Amarnath Yatra. A 24x7 camp has been established at Jakhani in Udhampur on the NH-44 to effectively respond to any emergency.

The SDRF camp is equipped with state-of-the-art machinery and life-saving devices to handle various situations. These include advanced equipment such as heavy vehicle lifters, rock cutters and lifesaving machines. A team of over 10 highly trained personnel is deployed at the camp, prepared to tackle any mishap that may occur on the highway, including landslides or other natural disasters.

Udhampur SDRF Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Kartar Singh said modern machinery had been deployed at the camp so that it could be taken swiftly to any area if there was an emergency.

The pilgrimage will officially commence on June 29, when the first batch of pilgrims will start their journey towards the holy cave shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva in Anantnag district from two routes — Pahalgam and Baltal.

The security of the Yatra becomes crucial in the backdrop of the attack on pilgrims, who were returning from the Shiv Khori shrine in Reasi district on June 9. Nine people were killed when terrorists had targeted a bus of pilgrims, mostly from Uttar Pradesh.

Inter-agency meetings have been going on for many days for better coordination during the yatra period between June 29 and August 19. Intelligence agencies have also been asked to remain more active during the duration the period to thwart any evil design by ultras.

A meeting was also held in Jammu by Traffic Department to brief the subordinate formations about their duties and deployment during the annual pilgrimage. The officials were directed to clear all sorts of obstructions, wrong parking from yatra route well in time, besides ensuring hassle-free movement of pilgrim convoys.

Meanwhile, to ensure smooth conduct of the yatra, Samba DC Abhishek Sharma took a review of the arrangements. He reviewed the requisite arrangements made available at 26 lodgement centres established in the district.

He also reviewed the arrangements at the two RFID issuing counters set up at Chichi Mata and Nonath Ashram for the pilgrims. Furthermore, he assessed the facilities for sanitation, security, electricity, water supply, bedding, health, drinking water and installation of generators to ensure the comfort of the ‘yatris’.

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