Amarnath Yatra preparations: Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday chaired a high-level meeting to review the preparedness for the annual pilgrimage and directed to mobilise higher resources and involve more manpower to ensure the on-time completion of the ongoing work ahead of the beginning of the Amarnath Yatra.
The 62-day Yatra which will take place to the 3,888-metre-high cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas is set to start next month on July 1 and will continue till August 31.
In the meeting, the LG took stock of the preparedness of all departments and concerned agencies. He directed the telecom service providers to boost the connectivity of network along with increasing the bandwidth on the Yatra route.
The meeting was attended by Mandeep Kumar Bhandari, CEO, Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB), GOC, 15 Corps, Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai and other senior officials of the civil administration, SASB, Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and representatives of telecommunication service providers.
The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) apprised Sinha of the work done to upgrade the tracks, the installation of safety railings on all vulnerable stretches, snow clearance, installation of Army tents and strengthening of the telecommunication network. The LG also took stock of the work done by the irrigation and flood control department.
Army Commander reviews preparations
Arrangements for the commencement of Yatra next month were reviewed by the Northern Army commander Lieutenant Upendra Dwivedi, officials said.
Multi-tiered arrangements which included night domination through night-vision devices, snipers, drone systems and dog squads will be used to ensure tight security during the Yatra, officials added. The road stretches on the twin routes of the Yatra to the cave shrine are nearly clear, according to the Army officials.
This was revealed during the inspection-cum-review of the yatra arrangements by Northern Army commander Lieutenant Upendra Dwivedi, the officials said.
The Amarnath Yatra takes place annually via two routes -- the southern route through Baltal in Ganderbal and the northern route through Pahalgam in Anantnag district.
"Army commanders reviewed the ongoing preparations for the Amarnath Yatra that will commence on July 1 for two months," PRO, Defence, Udhampur, Lieutenant Colonel Devende Anand said. Both routes were inspected by the Army commander.
He was also shown the preparations made by BRO, Indian Air Force.
Preparations for emergency situations
Based on the experiences of a cloud burst incident during the yatra in 2022, civil rescue teams and avalanche rescue teams will be deployed on the routes.
"Earthmovers will be placed at multiple locations en route for emergencies. A seamless communication network on both routes has also been operationalised. SFF detachments will be overlooking the security of the people," the defence PRO said.
The PRO said that the Army has made helipads at various locations keeping medical emergencies in view.
(With PTI inputs)
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