The annual Yatra to holy cave shrine of Bhagwan Shiv, located in snow-clad high-altitude mountains in district Anantnag, is going on and expecting a huge rush of pilgrims, the administration of the Union Territory has made elaborate arrangements for the convenience stay and pilgrimage of Yatris. As a number of people, belonging to various other States and UTs of the country, also undertake the Yatra and majority of them are not adapted to the atmosphere and climatic conditions of hilly areas, there are chances that they may feel inconvenience or take some time to adapt to the weather conditions. Looking at this vital issue, besides arranging adequate lodging and eating facilities for the pilgrims, the administration has also ensured provision of necessary medical help and assistance for the pilgrims, so that they can easily get the same, in time, without any difficulty. As several new hi-tech and advanced steps have been taken to enhance the security and other facilities for pilgrims, likewise in order to provide them timely medical help, at any point during Yatra, the Government has launched a mobile application ‘yatra22’ and dedicated webpage www.yatra22.com for tracking healthcare facilities for pilgrims undertaking Amarnath Yatra besides facilitating identification and tracking of health facilities during emergencies, so that the suffering or ailing patients can get timely medical support. As per details, the health department has established almost 150 health facilities, right from the entry point of J&K- Lakhanpur to Holy Cave, equipped with efficient doctors and necessary manpower. For the ease of Yatris, the exact locations of all these facilities have been made available on the App with all the coordinates and distance from an individual accessing App/portal. Do’s and Don’ts have also been incorporated into the application for safety of the pilgrims. As per a senior officer of the Health Department, almost 1500 health personnel have been deployed on Yatra duties, with an approximate three times increase in infrastructure. Pertinent to mention here that the Shrine Board, right from the announcement of the Yatra date, issues repeated notifications urging the people desirous to undergo Yatra for making some changes in their lifestyle besides developing walking stamina but still every year, a number of pilgrims face several health-related hardships during pilgrimage. It is expected that these elaborate and enhanced facilities will ensure seamless and smooth delivery of medical services to pilgrims.
