Amarnath Yatra: Journey of faith begins amid high security, enthusiasm; drizzle no dampener

STATE TIMES NEWS

Srinagar/Jammu/Baltal: The breeze blew gently, borrowing the cool from the drizzle and energy from the first rays of the dawn, as chants in the praise of Lord Shiva rent the base camps for Amarnath Yatris as they began their journey to the cave shrine nestled at 3,880 metres in the Himalayas.
Most pilgrims spent the night awake in excitement and anticipation — and some because they were sold fake registration slips by agents.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished new enthusiasm and energy to devotees who knew the journey ahead was going to be hectic, but felt assured by the security arrangements.
The weather also played hide and seek, but nothing dampened their spirit as the echoes of ‘Bam Bam Bhole’ and ‘Har Har Mahadev’ lent warmth to the cold rain droplets.
“Even though it is raining,” said a yatri from Mumbai, “Bhole Baba has gifted us with enthusiasm. There is tremendous enthusiasm all around, notwithstanding the bad weather.”
“I came last year also,” added a pilgrim from Amritsar. “The arrangements are very good, they are managing everything, including cards, properly. The weather should remain good.”
The yatra began from the twin routes of Baltal and Pahalgam. Baltal is in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district and Pahalgam in Anantnag district in the south.
At the Baltal base camp too, hundreds of pilgrims lined up at the access control gate early morning where the first batch of around 6,000 pilgrims was flagged off by Deputy Commissioner Ganderbal, Shyambir and other senior officers.
Raman Worlikar, a pilgrim from Mumbai, said he has been performing the yatra for the past many years now. “We wait for Baba’s glimpse for a year. We are enthusiastic for the yatra. We pray that the yatra remains incident-free.”
The pilgrims — men, including sadhus, women, old, young and children — wore their faith on the sleeves as they began the walk to the naturally formed ice-lingam at the cave shrine.
Asked whether they would make any special prayers, the yatris said they will pray that there is prosperity and good health all around “In J-K and across the country.”
“We will also pray there is no incident like last year’s flash floods and everyone performs the yatra smoothly,” said another pilgrim from Mumbai.
A group of yatris from Punjab said they want to thank Baba for everything he has bestowed them with. “I have been coming here continuously since 2009, except for the coronavirus period. This yatra goes on smoothly. Everyone leaves happy from here. Baba listens to everyone. Those who come once, come again,” said one of them.
Most of the pilgrims were happy with the arrangements made by the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) and the J-K administration.
However, some alleged the process to procure registration cards at the base camp were not up to the mark.
The yatra also presents a snapshot of the syncretic culture of Jammu and Kashmir with the local Muslims playing vital role at all points of the pilgrimage “like lifeline”.
Deputy Commissioner Shyambir said the yatra would not be possible without the support of the local people. They provide most of the services including pony rides or ‘palkie’ rides.
The locals made it to the base camp early in the morning to provide gear like trekking poles made of wood, caps, raincoats etc, to the pilgrims. Many locals have also set up stalls inside the base camp, selling a wide variety of merchandise for the pilgrims.
The Army has said a robust and dynamic security grid complete with the deployment of snipers, anti-drone systems, bomb disposal and dog squads has been put in place to ensure a safe and secure yatra.
The multi-tier security arrangements include domination of the mountains, sanitisation of the yatra route, and round-the-clock domination of the area using the latest night vision devices.
The army’s Special Forces are keeping a watch over the yatra route from vantage locations, the army said.
Apart from the deployment, drone surveillance and RFID chips are also a part of the multi-tier security arrangements for pilgrims. The peaks leading to the holy cave have been covered by the security forces and a round-the-clock vigil is being maintained.
The yatra this year is the longest-ever, stretching 62 days. It will culminate on August 31 on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan.
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, meanwhile, chaired a review meeting on control room operations set up at Raj Bhawan here for Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra.
He reviewed the queue management, deployment of security personnel, women constables, operation of langers and security forces at lower Holy Cave, installation of railings and heli services with the officers of the control room and appreciated the exemplary work done by the team, an official spokesman said.
The Shri Amarnath Ji Shrine Board’s (SASB) control room is working 24×7 and coordinating with various stakeholders on the ground to ensure hassle-free pilgrimage, he said.
“A big push has been made to improve the facilities for pilgrims and to provide the best of comfort to make the spiritual journey a pleasurable experience,” the Lt Governor said.
In Jammu, officials said security arrangements this year are more elaborate than the previous years. Deputy Inspector General of Police, Jammu-Samba-Kathua range, Shakti Pathak warned of legal action against those involved in duping Amarnath pilgrims by providing fake registration permits.
Over 430 Amarnath pilgrims were found in possession of fake registration permits in Jammu, Kathua and Samba district on Friday.
“Those involved in cheating the pilgrims (by selling fake registration slips) are putting them to unnecessary trouble and grave risk. All such pilgrims were facilitated but an investigation is on to identify the wrong-doers. They will face action,” the officer told reporters during his visit to Lakhanpur corridor, the gateway to Jammu and Kashmir, to review yatra arrangements.
“All the requirements of the pilgrims like boarding and lodging have been taken care of. The security is better than before,” he said, adding that even the community kitchens were set up inside the four walls for the safety of the pilgrims.
The DIG said the security along the borders and the highway have been tightened and all the concerned security agencies are keeping a close watch.