Amarnath Yatra registration to start from April 1

This year’s 56 day Yatra shall commence simultaneously on both the routes from June 28 and culminate on August 22—on the festival of Raksha Bandhan.

The registration of pilgrims for the annual Amarnath Yatra is going to commence on April 1 for both the routes of Baltal and Chandanwari through 446 designated Bank branches of Punjab National Bank (316), Jammu and Kashmir Bank (90) and YES Bank (40), across the country, said officials.

For Yatra 2021, only those health certificates which have been issued after March 15 shall be valid. (AP)

This year’s 56 day Yatra shall commence simultaneously on both the routes from June 28 and culminate on August 22—on the festival of Raksha Bandhan.

This year the government has been making arrangements for six lakh pilgrims.

Chief executive officer, Amarnath Shrine Board, Nitishwar Kumar has informed that the step-by-step procedure, application form and state-wise list of bank branches with complete addresses are available at the shrine board’s website.

He said that to keep a check on fraudulent health certificates, only such certificates which are issued by doctors and medical institutes authorised by the state government / UT administrations concerned shall be accepted at the registered bank branches.

For Yatra 2021, only those health certificates which have been issued after March 15 shall be valid.

The steps which yatris need to follow in order to register for the Yatra, have been put on the Board’s website www.shriamarnathjishrine.com. It contains relevant information on how to reach the base camps, fee for yatra registration, tariff for ponies, palanquin and porters.

The CEO further informed that persons under the age of 13 years or above the age of 75 years and women who are more than six weeks pregnant would not be registered for this year’s yatra.

The CEO also informed that the Yatra Permits would be different for each day of the week and route, with a different colour coding for each day to facilitate the police personnel deployed at the Access Control Gates at Baltal and Chandanwari to regulate the Yatra for the relevant date and route. In this context, he cautioned the intending pilgrims against undertaking this arduous yatra without securing a Yatra Permit and the required compulsory health certificate.

Kumar stressed that for ensuring effective security arrangements along the difficult tracks, only those yatris who are in possession of a Yatra Permit which is valid for a specified date and route, will be allowed to proceed beyond the base camps, and cross the entry gates at Domel and Chandanwari.

Yatris who propose to travel by helicopter do not require advance registration as their helicopter tickets shall suffice for this purpose. However, they shall be required to produce the Compulsory Health Certificate (CHC) in the prescribed format issued by an authorised doctor, before they are allowed to travel by helicopter.

Jammu DC calls for enhancing Yatri Niwas accommodation capacity to 5,000

Jammu deputy commissioner Anshul Garg on Saturday convened a meeting with the senior officers of various departments to review the arrangements being put in place here at Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas for comfortable stay of pilgrims during Amarnathji Yatra.

Yatri Niwas is the main base camp here at Jammu from where pilgrims embark on their journey towards Srinagar and then to Pahalgam and Baltal to undertake the trek to cave shrine nestled at a height of 13,000 feet in South Kashmir Himalayas.

Garg reviewed the status of the available facilities like power, drinking water, sanitation, transport, security, barricading, mobile toilets, clock rooms, langar arrangements, parking facility, PAS and related services.

The officers apprised him that Yatri Niwas has 13 halls with the capacity of catering to around 1, 500 yatris at a time with attached bathrooms and other facilities.

Garg emphasized upon the officers to increase the per day accommodation capacity from current two thousand to five thousand.

Regarding this, Garg was informed that a hall of 7000 sq ft having a capacity of accommodating 500 yatris would be constructed at an estimated cost of 174 lakhs by the Tourism department.

He directed the concerned officers to gear up men and machinery to ensure adequate arrangements for the comfortable stay and onward journey of Yatris.