Srinagar: Security measures in the upcoming Amarnath Yatra are being greatly intensified given the recent Pahargam terrorist attacks killed 26 civilians, mainly tourists.
This year’s Amarnath Yatra program starts with the traditional Pahalgam and Shorter Baltal routes, respectively, and starts on July 3 in the Anantnag and Ganderbal areas respectively. So far, more than 350,000 people have registered this year’s pilgrimage online.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the government is taking enough measures to ensure the safe and stable behavior of Amarnath Yatra and the upcoming Mela Khir Bhawani.
In addition to deploying thousands of personnel from Jamu and Kashmir police, the CRPF, BSF, ITBP and other Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) as well as military pillars across the Yatra route, the base camps in Pahalgam and Baltal will witness their appearance. In addition, official sources said that all other airport stops, including Yatri Niwas, will have multiple surveillance systems installed.
J&K authorities have conducted a rigorous review of all service providers, including community kitchens or free Langar operators, horse riders, porters and suppliers. Not only do they have to get mandatory registration, but everyone will have police verification in advance to make sure none of them have criminal backgrounds or suspicious links.
Only those who have been cleared through this process can allow pilgrimage services and as in the past, verified providers will receive unique identification tags for easy monitoring during YATRA.
As practiced in the past few years, CCTV cameras, drones and satellite phones will be used to conduct real-time monitoring along the pilgrimage route and to conduct aerial surveillance to detect suspicious activities.
Although from Qazigund (NH 44) (NH 44) (the portal from the south to the Kashmir Valley) to Pahalgam and Baltal under CCTV surveillance, there are other observers of suspicious elements, only vehicles with radio frequency identification (RFID) can go from Yatri ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni ni These RFIDs are provided by CRPF as an additional feature to ensure the safety of the pilgrims, a major component of the security grid established for the pilgrimage.
J&K Lieutenant Manoj Sinha, also chairman of the Thr Shri Amarnathji Shrine Committee (SASB), reviewed the security measures of Yatra here on Tuesday, at a special meeting at the Unified Command Headquarters (UCH).
UCH is monitoring seamless coordination between the military, paramilitary forces and local police to address potential threats.
Official sources said Sinha congratulated the armed forces, security agencies and J&K police on the “Operation Sindoor” and “terrorists who have successfully neutralized terrorists in the past few days”. Sources said he directed all security agencies to conduct precise, intelligence-led operations to “neutralize terrorists and remove support cells.”
The Lt. Governor also discussed the key strategies and broader counter-terrorism approaches for security and intelligence agencies to achieve the goal of a ‘terror-free J&K’, the sources said, adding that, while reviewing the security preparedness for the Amarnathji yatra, he directed the senior officials of armed forces, CAPFs, intelligence agencies and J&K police to take all necessary action to ensure safe and peaceful Sacred pilgrimage.
UCH’s Tuesday meeting also participated in the Chief Secretary of J&K, Atul Dulloo, North Army Commander Lieutenant Pratik Sharma, DGP Nalin Prabhat, Chandraker Bharti Chief Secretary, ADGP CID NITISH KUMAR, Lieutenant Deputy Prime Minister and CEO SASB Mandeep K. Bhandari, as well as other senior officials of the armed forces, CAPFS, J&K police, intelligence agencies and other senior officials of the civil government. The meeting also reviewed J&K’s overall security status. Sources said the focus of the deliberations were on the consequences of the terrorist attacks in Amarnath Yatra and Pahalgam and on the evolution of the region’s “Operation Sindoor”.
Elsewhere, with journalists during their visit to Tulla Mulla, a sleepy village, located 27 km north of Kashmiri Capital Srinagar, next to the historic Khir Bhawani temple, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said: “The government is making enough arrangements to ensure the government of khir bhawan and amar and amar and and and and’””’.
He reiterated that the tourism industry in Kashmir was hit hard by the Pahalgam terrorist attacks and that the current situation has not revived the industry again. “Once Amarnath Yatra ends, the government will sit with stakeholders and take steps to revive the tourism industry again,” he said.
He said travel agencies from outside J&K also hope that tourism will flourish again here. “Some groups have begun to arrive. Once Yatra comes to the conclusion, formal revival measures will be taken,” he said.
