ONGC boosts pilgrimage safety with new infrastructure in Kashmir

Srinagar, July 2: Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) is strengthening public infrastructure in Jammu & Kashmir by constructing Disaster Management and Yatri Niwas complexes at four strategic locations—Baltal, Nunwan, Bijbehara, and Sidhra—under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme.

A statement said that these facilities will be managed by the Shri Amarnath Ji Shrine Board under the Jammu & Kashmir Government.

Aimed at supporting the annual Amarnath Yatra and benefiting local communities year-round, the projects include safe accommodations, sanitation services, and disaster-response infrastructure. With over five lakh pilgrims undertaking the Yatra each year, the permanent facilities mark a major upgrade from temporary setups of previous years.

The Baltal complex, spread over 6,315 square metres, is now fully operational. It features a Yatri Niwas, a VIP guest house, security infrastructure, and emergency services. The complex will be formally inaugurated on July 4 by Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and J\&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, in the presence of ONGC Chairman Arun Kumar Singh.

Construction is underway at Nunwan and Bijbehara, expected to be completed by September 2025. The Sidhra complex in Jammu, envisioned as a key logistics and emergency hub, is targeted for completion by September 2026.

In 2024, ONGC also built permanent 100-bed hospitals at Baltal (Ganderbal) and Chandanwari (Anantnag), complete with ICUs and staff quarters. These hospitals, developed in collaboration with the J&K Government, now operate year-round as Primary Health Centres, replacing makeshift medical camps.