L-G Sinha to flag off Amarnath Yatra today
Amid heightened security measures, the annual Amarnath pilgrimage to the holy cave shrine in Kashmir will begin from Jammu base camp on Wednesday morning. The Yatra will be flagged off by L-G Manoj Sinha.
The pilgrimage will formally commence on July 3 when the pilgrims will trek the two routes, traditional 48-km long Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the 14-km Baltal route in Ganderbal district, to reach the holy cave.
Pilgrims and sadhus from across the country have already reached Jammu where they are undergoing registration and other formalities. The administration has set up special help desks for the pilgrims who intend to undertake the pilgrimage. The Bhagwati Nagar base-camp in Jammu is buzzing with activity.
Central government has deployed multiple companies of paramilitary forces from Kathua to the cave shrine to provide foolproof security to the pilgrims. The administration has already issued advisory urging the pilgrims to keep their vehicles within the convoys till they reach Kashmir and avoid moving independently on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway.
The terror attack in Pahalgam in April has also served as a warning to the administration and the security forces due to which no stone is being left unturned to secure the route of the pilgrimage along with areas where the pilgrims will have halts. Combing operations are also taking place in the forest areas of Jammu region specifically in Udhampur district where an encounter took place in which one ultra was killed while three were able to escape.
The government has already made both the Pahalgam and Baltal routes as no flying zones due to which there will be no chopper service for the pilgrims this year. No drone activity even for video shooting of the pilgrimage will be allowed in the region. The routes have been made no flying zone from July 1 to August 10. The 38-day Yatra will end on August 9.
DGP Nalin Prabhat on Monday chaired a high-level joint security review meeting in Anantnag to assess the overall security scenario in South Kashmir, with a special focus on Amarnath Yatra.
During the meeting, the DGP took stock of the current security posture and issued directions to strengthen preparedness against any potential threats, emphasising law and order management along the Pahalgam axis.
The government is also taking precaution as the terrorists behind the Pahalgam terror attack are still on the loose.
Meanwhile, while on the spot registration centres have been set up for unregistered pilgrims in Shalimar area of the city, a special camp for registration of sadhus has been set up at the Purani Mandi-based Ram temple complex, officials said.
The registration is being done at three centres — Vaishnavi Dham, Panchayat Bhawan, and Mahajan Sabha. Saraswati Dham is the only centre from where devotees can get the token.
J & K