SrinagarKashmir valley has been turned into a fortress to ensure a smooth annual Hindu pilgrimage which commenced on Wednesday and will last for next 40 days.
Annual Amarnath pilgrimage also called Yatra takes off simultaneously from South and North Kashmir with hundreds of thousands of Hindu Yatris descending from all across India.
The Yatra passes through Kashmir’s two major tourist attractions Sonamarg in North and Pahalgam in South.
This years pilgrimage begins at a time when security situation has worsened, especially in south Kashmir.
The authorities have made multi-layered security arrangements to ensure smooth passage of pilgrims from sensitive areas. The areas would be dominated by Army, Central Reserve Police force (CRPF), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and the Jammu & Kashmir Police, right from Lakhanpur, the entry point to the state in the Jammu plains right upto the cave shrine situated atop South Kashmir Himalays. All the concerned security and Intelligence agencies have been asked to enforce sustained watch and maintain effective co-ordination to ensure the smooth conduct of the pilgrimage.
NDTV quoting SN Shrivastava, special director general, CRPF, reported that the yatra this year was a “big challenge” and will have the highest-ever security setup to ensure an incident-free yatra. “In view of the intelligence inputs, we have made adequate security arrangements for the safety of the yatris (pilgrims),” he said.
A heavy security blanket of over 35,000 to 40,000 troops comprising special Quick Action Teams, the police, Army, BSF and CRPF will guard the highway. Closed circuit cameras are installed along the highway and at sensitive locations on the Yatra route.
Drones, satellite tracking systems, jammers and bullet-proof bunkers, dog squads and CCTV cameras have been utilised to ensure safety of the pilgrims this year.
2,280 pilgrims in 72-vehicle convoy left Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in Jummu around 5.30 am amid chants of “Jai Bholay Nath” and “Bum Bum Bholay”.
Situated in a narrow gorge at the farther end of Lidder Valley, Amarnath shrine stands at 3,888 metres, 46 km from Pahalgam and 14 km from Baltal.
The separatists have welcomed the pilgrims and sought to allay apprehensions on their safety. Veteran separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani has already welcomed the arrival of pilgrims and described them as guests of the people in the valley. He said nobody would harm or obstruct the performance of their religious duties.
This year 2.12 lakh pilgrims have registered for the pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave shrine.
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