Amarnath Yatra Nodal Officer visits Baltal; reviews preparations

Ganderbal, June 24: With the 52-day annual Amarnath Yatra set to begin on June 29, the arrangements are going on a war footing basis along both the Pahalgam-Chandanwari and Baltal tracks to the Amarnath cave shrine.

To facilitate a hassle-free yatra, the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) and the Jammu and Kashmir administration have made elaborate arrangements for the smooth conduct of the Amarnath Yatra including seamless registration, convoy movement, camping facilities, medical facilities, upgrading the tracks, providing power and water supply, and mobile phone connectivity.

The annual yatra to the 12,700-feet high Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir will conclude on August 19. The annual yatra takes place from the twin tracks — the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the 14-km shorter but steep Baltal route in Ganderbal district.

Officials said best practices from Amarnath Yatra 2023 would be emulated this year. This annual yatra attracts lakhs of devotees from far and wide who come to pay their respect to lord Shiva.

Meanwhile, Secretary Rural Development Department (RDD) and Panchayati Raj, Shahid Choudhary who is also the Nodal Officer for Amarnath Yatra via Baltal axis on Monday conducted an extensive tour of Baltal to have a firsthand appraisal of the arrangements being put in place for Amarnath Yatra.

He was accompanied by Deputy Commissioner (DC) Ganderbal, Shyambir, Director General (DG) Rural Sanitation, Anoo Malhotra, Director Rural Development Kashmir, Shabir Hussain Bhat, Additional District Development Commissioner, Ganderbal, Mushtaq Ahmad Simnani, Camp Directors, ACD and other district and sectoral officers.

On the occasion, Choudhary inspected the arrangements at Baltal including power and water supply, pitching of tents, public utilities, sanitation measures, and other related arrangements.

Inspecting the arrangements, he gave necessary instructions to the concerned departments to ensure all arrangements were put in place in time for the convenience of the yatris.

Choudhary chaired a meeting of civil administration and Camp Directors and took a detailed review of the arrangements being made for the smooth conduct of the yatra.

He also reviewed the functionality of various sanitation infrastructures including the toilets, washrooms, dustbins, waste disposal, and other sanitation facilities on the Baltal axis.

Officials said that while assessing the arrangements for sanitation, Choudhary said that the department was committed to providing a clean and hygienic environment for all the Amarnath yatris and directed the concerned to ensure that every yatri has access to the best possible sanitation facilities.

He gave necessary directions to the concerned Camp Directors to assess the availability of facilities in their camps regularly.

The concerned departments were also directed to ensure all pending works were completed well before the commencement of the yatra.