Centre plans elaborate security measures for Amarnath Yatra

The pilgrimage, scheduled to begin on July 3 and end on August 9, is being held amid a high security alert following Operation Sindoor

The central government has decided to put in place several security measures for the annual Amarnath Yatra to ensure safety of the pilgrims, including paramilitary cover for convoys and deployment of additional paramilitary forces along the route, officials said on Saturday.

The pilgrimage, scheduled to begin on July 3 and end on August 9, is being held amid a high security alert following Operation Sindoor . (PTI)

The pilgrimage, scheduled to begin on July 3 and end on August 9, is being held amid a high security alert following Operation Sindoor which was triggered by the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed the lives of 22 civilians. One of the routes for the trek to the shrine crosses through Pahalgam.

Earlier, horizontal access roads to the shrine were blocked for regular traffic by the region’s traffic police and local volunteers.

“This time, because of the high alert, there will be teams of paramilitary force personnel, who will also secure entry points to the highway. The number of personnel at each point will depend on the location of the access point, topography and the population of the area,” an officer aware of the details said.

The officer said that several security review meetings have been held over the last few weeks to take stock of the preparations for the yatra, the duration of which is 38 days this year compared to 52 last year.

Every convoy escorted by paramilitary forces will have a jammer to add an extra layer of security, the officer said.

“Convoys were always bunched up in large numbers and escorted by police teams in the past. This time, while the horizontal access roads are already blocked and secured, the escort vehicles themselves will have cell phone jammers. This is an additional layer of security,” the officer said.

Separately, the MHA has sanctioned 581 companies of paramilitary forces, up from last year’s 510, the officer said.

The 581 companies include all the central armed police forces — CRPF, BSF, CISF, SSB and ITBP.

CRPF, however, will have the highest number of personnel deployed for security with 219 companies. The sanctioned strength of one CRPF company is around 120-130 depending on the location. CRPF, which already has a large contingent in J&K as part of the internal security and counter terror roles, is the nodal agency for all agencies during the Yatra. The number does not include those from the J&K police and the Indian Army contingents.

“The additional companies from across the country will start moving towards the valley by the end of this week. At all remote locations, personnel will have access to satellite phones so that communication is not affected under any circumstances. All these measures are in addition to all the usual measures like having road opening parties(ROPs), bomb disposal squad(BDS), K9 teams and drones for surveillance. Police verification of all civilian workers, including Yatra Niwas volunteers, pony riders and shopkeepers will also start soon,” the second official said.