STATE TIMES NEWS
KATHUA: District Administration Kathua on Thursday welcomed the Shri Amarnath yatris at Lakhanpur; the gateway of Jammu & Kashmir amidst spirited participation of a large number of pilgrims who turned up for annual Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra.
The Yatris were formally welcomed at Lakhanpur corridor in Kathua district by Vice Chairman DDC Kathua, Raghunandan Singh, DC Kathua Rakesh Minhas, SSP Kathua Shivdeep Singh Jamwal, President MC Lakhanpur, DDC Member and other district and sectoral officers.
The pilgrims left Lakhanpur at 12:30 PM. Many devotees who got themselves registered for the annual pilgrimage were given RFID tags at Lakhanpur for which the government put up 06 special counters. The Yatris who are already registered for Yatra coming by road through Lakhanpur have to undergo eKYC for the issuance of RFID Tags for them.
DC Kathua while formally welcoming the Yatris assured that district administration has made elaborate arrangements for pleasant experience of the Yatris who can get help and other relevant information from dedicated Helplines and Counters established for the facilitation of the Yatris.
Earlier, the scintillating cultural performances depicting Shiv Tandava and other devotional numbers enthralled the devotees and made them awestruck. The spree of devotional performances presented by troupes of Information Department (DIPR Kathua) which besides engaging the devotees electrified the atmosphere amidst the chants of ‘Har Har Mahadev’, ‘Jai Baba Barfani’ and ‘Bham Bham Bhole’.
Later, the DC Kathua alongwith PRI and devotees inaugurated newly installed ‘Selfie Point’ depicting the town down point of Gateway of J&K which has become cynosure of all eyes. The newly added feature of Wall Art showcasing Basohli Art and Dogra Folk culture was another attraction for devotees entering J&K through Lakhanpur Corridor. Besides, a large Helium Balloon welcoming the Yatris is garnering all eyes at Lakhanpur entry point.