More than 7,000 devotees, predominantly migrant Kashmiri Pandits residing in Jammu, have registered for the annual Mela Kheer Bhawani pilgrimage in Kashmir next week, an official said.
Authorities have put in place elaborate security and logistical arrangements to facilitate the smooth conduct of the yatra to the revered shrine at Tulmulla in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district.
Jammu Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar on Tuesday chaired a meeting to review the arrangements for the conduct of the annual Kheer Bhawani Mela Yatra, to be flagged off from Nagrota, Jammu on June 20.
Around 7,000 devotees have registered for the annual Yatra and will participate in the mela to be organised on June 22, an official spokesman said.
He said the Divisional Commissioner held a threadbare discussion on the arrangements to be ensured by the departments concerned, an official spokesman said. He said J&K Road Transport Corporation was directed to provide an adequate number of buses and to coordinate the journey.
The Divisional Commissioner directed all departments to ensure robust arrangements for the security of devotees, uninterrupted electricity and water supply, sanitation, traffic management, medical facilities, tents and transportation. He emphasised that all departments must work in close coordination to ensure a hassle-free experience for devotees.
Ramban Deputy Commissioner was directed to ensure arrangements at the langar facility where the convoy of pilgrims will halt en route to Kheer Bhawani temple in Ganderbal, the spokesman said.
He said a number of religious and community representatives expressed their views during the meeting and conveyed satisfaction for the robust arrangements made every year.
