JAMMU: Amidst chanting of Vedic Mantras the first batch of Amarnath pilgrims was flagged off by Deputy Chief Minister, Dr. Nirmal Singh from Yatri Niwas Bhagwati Nagar, Jammu for their onward journey to Shri Amarnath shrine on Friday morning.
The first batch of 1,282 pilgrims comprising 900 males, 225 females, 13 children and 144 sadhus left in 33 vehicles from the base camp Jammu.
Flanked by Minister of State for Tourism, Priya Sethi and Member Parliament, Jugal Kishore, Dr. Nirmal Singh said that the State Government and Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) have made elaborate arrangements with regard to boarding and lodging, medical and other facilities enroute from Lakhanpur to Amarnath Cave for the pilgrims. He said that special enquiry centres have also been set up by police and other agencies for providing all type of information to the pilgrims.
Dr. Singh said that adequate security mechanism has been put in place to ensure the safety of the visiting pilgrims and the tourists in the state. He stressed that the concerned agencies are working in synergy to ensure adequate security and logistic arrangements are put in place during the Yatra.
Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, IGP Jammu and other senior officers were also present on the occasion.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister launched a helpline to facilitate the Amaranth Yatris.
Inaugurating the Helpline in his camp office at Jammu, Dr. Singh said that the helpline will function from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM on all days till the conclusion of the Yatra, saying that any person can call on 0191-2555781 or 09622113113 contacts numbers to seek information or assistance with regard to the registration, medical certification and other related aspects of Yatra.
The Deputy Chief Minister appealed the intending Yatris to complete the necessary formalities and timely obtain Yatra Permit in their own interest so that they do not face any inconvenience on the date of Yatra.