STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Jammu and Kashmir has been put to maximum alert as high profile Shri Amarnath ji Yatra on Kashmir Himalayas is commencing on Saturday with first batch leaving from Jammu on Friday morning for Baltal and traditional base camp of Phalgham amid spiritual ambience in Yatri Niwas Bhagwati Nagar here.
The entire security grid has been alerted to make fool proof security arrangements along the entire route from the gateway of Jammu and Kashmir to the cave shrine located in South Kashmir.
The army and CRPF personnel have been selectively deployed as per safety requirements to plug the loopholes, if any, in the three tier security ring.
The recent attack on the CRPF convoy near Pampore on June 25 has already put pressure on the senior security officials to recast their security strategy to ensure smooth conduct of the yatra.
The Union Government has also carried out a fresh review of the security arrangements and assured all possible assistance to the State Government to ensure safety of the pilgrims.
The yatra is scheduled to take off on July 1, from Jammu when Deputy Chief Minister would flag off the first batch of pilgrims from the yatra base camp at Bhagwati Nagar.
In the wake of increasing incidents of militant violence, ahead of the beginning of annual Amarnath pilgrimage, the district administration in Jammu has also alerted the local police authorities to keep a strict watch on the suspicious movement of miscreants in and around base camp and other shelter and community feeding points in the city of temples. Quick reaction teams would be deployed along the yatra route while sniffer dogs would be pressed in to service to sniff out any explosive material buried under the surface.
Fool proof ‘security bandobast’ has been made at the yatra registration and token centres as well to instill confidence among pilgrims reaching here. Though it has been made mandatory for the langar committees to submit detailed list of their employees and helpers serving food and providing other facilities, regular screening of visitors in the area has already been started to ensure fool proof security arrangements.
In addition, several local residents, who also extend residential facility to pilgrims during the yatra period in Bhgawati Nagar area have been shortlisted and the local policemen have been directed to prepare a list of such houses where majority of pilgrims prefer to stay during the yatra period.
“We have advised the local residents to keep a close watch and share details of guests taking night shelter in their houses”, a senior official, involved in the yatra arrangements told STATE TIMES. Along with state police, additional paramilitary forces have been deployed in and around Yatri Niwas in Bhagwati Nagar area.
Regular patrolling along the Tawi river bank is being conducted to plug the routes approaching towards the base camp. CCTV cameras and other surveillance equipment is also installed at the base camp to monitor the movement of the suspicious, a senior police officer deployed for special security arrangements said. Dog squads and QRT teams have also been stationed at vantage locations to carry out regular security checks of yatra route and detect any explosive material, he added.
