A high-level review meeting on preparations for the annual Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra, which was scheduled to be chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday, has been postponed to June 12 due to the Minister's prior engagements, media reports said.
Official sources said the revised meeting will take place in New Delhi, with senior officials from Jammu and Kashmir having been informed about the change in schedule.
The meeting will comprehensively review arrangements for the pilgrimage, including security, healthcare, sanitation, accommodation, transportation and other essential facilities to ensure the smooth conduct of the Yatra.
The meeting will also be attended by Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, senior officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs, heads of paramilitary forces, including the Central Reserve Police Force(CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBT) and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), besides the chief of the Intelligence Bureau (IB). Senior Army officers are also likely to participate in the review, the reports said.According to the media reports, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, Director General of Police (DGP) Nalin Prabhat, Home Secretary Chandraker Bharti, Intelligence chief Nitish Kumar and other senior officers from Jammu and Kashmir are also scheduled to attend the meeting.
“Going by the heavy influx of tourists in Jammu and Kashmir and rush for registration of Shri Amarnath Ji pilgrimage, the authorities are expecting good number of yatris to reach for darshan of holy Ice Lingam of Lord Shiva in South Kashmir Himalayas this year,” the sources said.
The 57-day-long pilgrimage will start on July 3 and conclude on August 28 coinciding with auspicious occasion of Sharavan Purnima and Raksha Bandhan.
Meanwhile, the paramilitary companies allocated to Jammu and Kashmir for Shri Amarnath Ji pilgrimage have started reaching both the divisions. A total of 670 paramilitary companies have been approved for deployment on yatra security by the Union Home Ministry.
In Jammu, the deployment will start right from Lakhanpur, the gateway to Jammu and Kashmir. Along with police, the paramilitary companies will guard Pathankot-Jammu and Jammu-Srinagar National Highways, Railway Station, Airport, Bus Stand and Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas from where the pilgrims take off in the morning in convoy amid tight security arrangements.
“All places meant for accommodation of the pilgrims will also be fully protected,” the sources said.
In Kashmir, tight security arrangements are being made at base camps of Baltal and Nunwan (Pahalgam), the twin tracks and the holy cave shrine of Lord Shiva in South Kashmir Himalayas besides all other places meant for stay and movement of the pilgrims.
All arrangements for the pilgrims including security will be in place a week ahead of start of the yatra.
Sources said general security in Jammu and Kashmir is also being further strengthened before the pilgrimage to ensure that few left-out terrorists don’t manage to strike.
Shah will evaluate the readiness of security and civil departments involved in the annual pilgrimage and review measures aimed at ensuring the smooth, secure, and successful conduct of the Yatra.
