Elaborate security check conducted in Jammu zone for pilgrimage
STATE TIMES NEWS
Jammu: General Officer Commanding-in-chief, Northern Command, Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi on Saturday visited the counter-insurgency force (Delta) headquarters in Ramban district and reviewed its operational preparedness for smooth conduct of the upcoming Amarnath yatra, a defence spokesman said.
Accompanied by General Officer Commanding of Jammu-based White Knight Corps Lt Gen Manjinder Singh, the northern commander also reviewed the overall security situation in the area and exhorted all ranks on the need to remain vigilant to counter the anti-national elements, the spokesman said.
He said Lt Gen Dwivedi was briefed by General Officer Commanding, CIF(Delta) and commanders regarding various actions being undertaken by the force to ensure peace and stability in the region. The commander interacted with the soldiers who are deployed for counter terrorism operations and obtained feedback on operations, training, weapons, equipment and administrative issues, the spokesman said.
He said Lt Gen Dwivedi commended all ranks for their unwavering dedication to duty, selfless devotion and high standards of professionalism.
Meanwhile, with the annual Amarnath yatra less than a fortnight away, authorities this afternoon checked the security and other arrangements along the 270-km Jammu-Srinagar national highway for the pilgrims, officials said.
Jammu Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar and Additional Director General of Police Mukesh Singh led a convoy of 20 security vehicles this morning from Jammu to Banihal — the gateway to Kashmir — as part of what officials described as a “trial run” for the yatra’s security.
The officials said all arrangements including security made by the Jammu, Udhampur and Ramban districts for the pilgrimage were checked personally by the two senior civil and police officers heading Jammu division.
The 43-day-long yatra to the cave shrine of Amarnath, at an altitude of 3,880 meters, is scheduled to start on June 30 from the twin routes – the traditional 48-km Nunwan in south Kashmir’s Pahalgam and the shorter 14-km Baltal in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal.
The first batch of the pilgrims will leave for the yatra a day ahead from Bhagwati Nagar base camp Jammu and pass through Jammu-Srinagar national highway before reaching their respective base camps in Pahalgam and Baltal.
The officials said a contingency plan has already been chalked out to ensure accommodation of pilgrims in transit camps in case of inclement weather forces closure of the highway besides the measures for early opening of the highway by clearing landslide debris.
