Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], June 30 (ANI): The first batch of Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra will be flagged off from the Jammu base camp on July 2, with the pilgrimage commencing from the Baltal and Pahalgam base camps on July 3. Ahead of the start, the district administration has made extensive arrangements for current registration at the Jammu Tawi Riverfront, drawing large numbers of pilgrims to the token and registration centre.
Visuals showed Baltal and Pahalgam route tokens being issued in the Jammu registration centre as security personnel patrolled amid the gathering crowd of pilgrims.
Among those who had reached the registration centre was Anil Kumar, undertaking the Yatra for the second time. Speaking about his experience, Kumar said, "This is my second visit... everything is proceeding well. I will get to have darshan with the first group."
The annual pilgrimage to the holy Amarnath cave shrine, situated at an altitude of around 3,880 metres in the Himalayas of south Kashmir, is one of the country's most significant religious pilgrimages. Devotees undertake the yatra to pay obeisance to the naturally formed ice Shivling, believed to symbolise Lord Shiva.
The 57-day pilgrimage this year will commence simultaneously from the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the shorter but steeper 14-km Baltal route in Ganderbal district on July 3. The yatra will conclude on August 28, coinciding with the festival of Raksha Bandhan.
Meanwhile, security forces and the civil administration have intensified mock drills across Jammu and Kashmir ahead of the annual Yatra to test their preparedness and ensure foolproof security arrangements for the pilgrimage.
The mock drills are being carried out at various locations along both the Pahalgam and Baltal routes, besides major transit camps, base camps and other sensitive locations associated with the pilgrimage.
Personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Jammu and Kashmir Police, Army and other sister security agencies, along with health services, fire and emergency departments and the civil administration, are participating in the exercises.
The drills are designed to test the response of security forces and civil agencies to a range of emergencies, including terror attacks, improvised explosive device (IED) threats, medical emergencies, fire incidents, natural disasters and crowd management scenarios.
Officials said the exercises are also aimed at evaluating inter-agency coordination, communication systems, evacuation procedures and response time during emergencies.
Security personnel have been rehearsing rescue operations, casualty evacuation, traffic management, emergency medical response and disaster management protocols to ensure a swift and coordinated response in the event of any contingency. (ANI)
