With the annual Amarnath Yatra from the shortest Baltal route set to begin from Monday, the army has stepped in to augment the track clearance works on the patch from Sangam to the 3,880-metre holy cave shrine.
"Army chipped in to clear Amarnath tracks as the snow clearence on critical patch from Sangam to the cave was not fully cleared due to hurdles caused by fresh snowfall last week," a spokesman of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) said today.
He said the Chief Executive officer B B Vyas visited the cave along with senior army and Board officers to take stock of the snow clearance work on the 16-km track.
The CEO directed for doubling the work-force to make the track fully functional by Monday, he said.
However, he said, at the cave most of the 'langers' (community kitchens) have been set up while tent-shop owners are putting up tenage for running their establishments of essential commodities and 'bhaint' items.
The SASB has also erected 15 huts and 85 toilets while the clearance work on the entry and exit points near the cave is in the final stages, the spokesman said.
{{/usCountry}}The SASB has also erected 15 huts and 85 toilets while the clearance work on the entry and exit points near the cave is in the final stages, the spokesman said.
{{/usCountry}}He said various service providing departments like Public health, Power, Revenue and Medical have positioned their staff in the cave which will be receiving the first batch of pilgrims on June 16 from the Baltal side.
Governor N N Vohra, Chairman of the SASB, is likely to lead the devotees in the "pratham Puja" at the sanctum sanctorum.