Home Secy reviews Shri Amarnath yatra security arrangements

Top officers attend meeting in Srinagar

Excelsior Correspondent

SRINAGAR, June 17: Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan today reviewed the security arrangements for the upcoming Amarnath yatra, officials said.
Intelligence Bureau Director Tapan Kumar Deka was also present in the meeting which was attended by top officers of Army, BSF, CRPF, police and other security agencies, the officials said.

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The 38-day-long yatra is scheduled to start on July 3 from the twin routes — the traditional 48-kilometre Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the 14-kilometre shorter but steeper Baltal route in Ganderbal district.
The first batch of pilgrims will leave for Kashmir from Bhagwati Nagar camp on July 2 and reach the twin base camps at Nuwan on Pahalgam route and Baltal on Sonamarg route same evening.
During the meeting, the Union Home Secretary was briefed about various security measures — including use of facial recognition system, CCTV surveillance and use of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags for the pilgrims — taken to ensure peaceful and incident-free pilgrimage, the officials said.
The meeting was also informed about declaration of the entire Amarnath yatra route a no fly zone, which bars operating any UAVs, drones or balloons over the twin routes from July 1 to August 10.
Mohan was also informed about the multi-layer security blanket thrown all along the yatra route and various base camps en route the holy cave shrine, the officials said.
The Union Home Secretary directed the officers to maintain high level of alertness to keep inimical elements at bay and ensure coordination between various sister agencies for smooth passage of the Yatra.
The security around the annual Amarnath yatra has been heightened this year against the backdrop of the April 22 terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam that left 26 people dead.
The yatra has been targeted by terrorists several times in the past, with the last major attack coming in July 2017 when eight pilgrims were killed.

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