Srinagar: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday visited the Nunwan base camp and inspected the facilities in place for the Amarnath Yatra pilgrims, an official press release informed.
It said at the Base Camp, the LG chaired a meeting with senior officials and reviewed the arrangements being made for essential services provided to pilgrims, including drinking water, electricity, telecom connectivity, accommodation, food, healthcare, emergency services and security. He also inspected the Yatra Registration Counter and reviewed the registration process.
The LG directed all departments to work in mission mode to ensure the welfare of the pilgrims.
“Today marks 15 days since the pilgrimage began, and in these 15 days more than 3.50 Lakh pilgrims have had darshan of Baba Bholenath. By the grace of Lord Shiva, the yatra is proceeding smoothly. There is great enthusiasm among devotees coming from every corner of the country, and local residents and service providers are also actively engaged in making this sacred pilgrimage a success,” the LG said.
The LG directed the officials to ensure that the environment remains fully protected. He further instructed for special cleanliness drives along both routes and camps.
“We are dedicated to a waste-free Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra and we must, working together under a whole-of-government approach, fulfill this commitment,” the LG told the officials.
The LG directed the officers to regularly obtain feedback from the pilgrims and ensure prompt redressal of any issues brought to their notice. He instructed that all services provided to the pilgrims should strictly follow a 100 percent prepaid system to ensure transparency and prevent overcharging.
In view of the forecast of heavy rainfall over the coming days, the LG directed the administration and all stakeholder agencies to remain fully prepared, strengthen contingency measures and ensure the safety, security and convenience of the pilgrims under all circumstances. He also directed that each tent should have a mandatory fire extinguisher.
During his visit, the LG interacted with the pilgrims and discussed their experience during the holy pilgrimage. The pilgrims expressed satisfaction over the arrangements and appreciated the cleanliness, sanitation arrangements, security, accommodation facilities and invaluable support of the personnel engaged in Yatra duties.
The LG stated that the expansion of infrastructure and pilgrim facilities in recent years has been reflected positively in the feedback from devotees. He said, alongside these advancements, it is essential to ensure that every pilgrim can access these facilities seamlessly, without any impediment.
The LG also interacted with shopkeepers, service providers, langar-sevadars, volunteers, and lauded their valuable contribution in facilitating the smooth pilgrimage of the devotees of ‘Baba Barfani’.
Speaking to the media-persons, the LG said: “Through the seamless coordination of all departments of J&K administration, Police, Army, security forces, Shrine Board and all stakeholders, the arrangements for this year’s pilgrimage are significantly enhanced. Feedback from the pilgrims has been overwhelmingly positive.
“This pilgrimage continues to drive vital economic benefits for Jammu & Kashmir, “ he said, adding that following the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal for visiting pilgrims to purchase local products, “a large number of devotees are buying local products such as handloom and handicrafts. In the days to come, this pilgrimage will be remembered as a truly memorable and historic one.”
The LG was accompanied by VK Birdi, IGP Kashmir; M. Suleman Choudhary, IGP Traffic J&K; Sujit Kumar Singh, IGP Security; Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, Nodal Officer for Pahalgam Axis; Anshul Garg, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir; Javid Iqbal Matoo, DIG South Kashmir Range; Dr Bilal Mohiuddin Bhat, Deputy Commissioner, Anantnag; Amod Nagpure Ashok, SSP Anantnag; Anoo Malhotra, DG Rural Sanitation; and senior officers of Shrine Board, civil administration, police and security forces.
Batch of over 4600 pilgrims leave Jammu for Amarnath cave in Kashmir
A fresh batch of 4,640 pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas here early Friday for the annual Shri Amarnath Yatra amid tight security arrangements, officials said.
More than 3.45 lakh pilgrims have paid obeisance to Lord Shiva at the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine till now.
The 16th batch, travelling in a convoy of 171 vehicles, comprised 1,626 pilgrims heading for the shorter Baltal route in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district and 3,014 pilgrims bound for the traditional Pahalgam route in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, they said.
According to officials, the Baltal-bound convoy departed the base camp at 2.42 am, followed by the Pahalgam-bound convoy at 3.11 am.
With the departure of the latest batch, a total of 1,09,128 pilgrims have left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu for the 3,880-metre-high holy cave shrine since the commencement of this year’s pilgrimage, the officials said.
The annual Amarnath Yatra is being conducted under multi-tier security arrangements, with authorities maintaining elaborate deployment along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway and both pilgrimage routes to ensure the safe passage of pilgrims.
