J&K LG reviews arrangements for Amarnath Yatra in south Kashmir

The annual pilgrimage will start from July 3 and end on August 9 this year, which comes just two months after a major terror attack in Baisaran Pahalgam in which 25 tourists and a local were killed by terrorists on April 22

Ahead of the upcoming Amarnath Yatra, Jammu and Kashmir lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha on Sunday reviewed the arrangements for smooth conduct of the annual Hindu pilgrimage at Nunwan Base camp in Pahalgam in South Kashmir, officials said.

Jammu and Kashmir lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha reviews the healthcare arrangements at Base Camp Hospital for the pilgrims of the upcoming Amarnath Yatra, in Pahalgam on Sunday. (ANI)

Sinha inaugurated a foot overbridge at the camp for smooth movement of pilgrims. “It will ensure efficient security checks and reduce the waiting time for devotees,” Sinha said on social networking site X.

The annual pilgrimage will start from July 3 and end on August 9 this year, which comes just two months after a major terror attack in Baisaran Pahalgam in which 25 tourists and a local were killed by terrorists on April 22.

Sinha, who is chairman of Amarnath Shrine Board, also reviewed the progress of disaster management centre and yatri niwas and functions of various services for pilgrims including lodging, ‘langar’, power and water supply, sanitation, health facilities, traffic management, fire and emergency services and deployment of security personnel.

“(I also) visited Chandanwari Base Camp and interacted with doctors and the medical team at the Base Camp Hospital. Reviewed the healthcare arrangements for the pilgrims,” he said.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of Hindu devotees from across the country visit the cave shrine of Amarnath situated at a height of 3,880 metre in the Himalayas passing through treacherous mountain routes, glaciers and ice fed streams. Pahalgam is one of the two main base camps of the Amarnath yatra.

The authorities have put in place an elaborate security plan to thwart any danger to the pilgrims and tourists.

Only one-third of the pilgrims registered for this year’s Amarnath Yatra before the Pahalgam terror attack have confirmed their travel to the cave shrine, Sinha said on Thursday, noting that overall pilgrim registration has dropped by over 10% from last year in the wake of the April 22 attack.

Around 2,36,000 pilgrims had registered for the yatra before the terror attack. So far, 85,000 pilgrims have reconfirmed their registration.

Last year, around 5,12,000 pilgrims had performed the yatra, the highest in over a decade.