Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 23: While an ‘Advance Recce Team’ of Anantnag police has conducted first recce of traditional Pahalgam track of Shri Amarnath ji yatra, the Pahalgam Development Authority (PDA) has cleared snow and landslides up to six kilometers area from Chandanwari as a part of measures to start annual pilgrimage to Shri Amarnath ji shrine in South Kashmir Himalayas well in time on July 2.
DIG Anantnag-Pulwama range Nitish Kumar told the Excelsior the `Advance Recce Team’ of Anantnag police personnel including officials has completed first recce of traditional yatra track of Pahalgam and would be undertaking the second recce in a fortnight before starting deployment of police and security forces on the track.
Kumar said security arrangements including deployment for Shri Amarnath Ji yatra from Nunwan, the base camp of the shrine in Pahalgam town of Anantnag district, to the holy cave, located at about 18,400 feet from the sea level, will not be impacted by Anantnag Assembly by-election, scheduled to be held on June 19.
“Security arrangements for both the events-the Assembly by-poll for Anantnag seat and annual Amarnath ji pilgrimage will go on simultaneously,” Kumar said describing security situation of South Kashmir as well under control with militancy-related incidents on the decline. Number of the militants has also gone down, he added.
The DIG South Kashmir Range said police would carry out second advance recce of traditional Pahalgam route right up to the cave shrine within a fortnight before deployment of advance teams of security forces and police.
He said entire track will be sanitized and secured by the police and security personnel right from Nunwan to Chandanwari and holy Amarnath ji cave well ahead of start of the yatra.
Meanwhile, Pahalgam Development Authority (PDA) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Riaz Ahmad Wani told the Excelsior that the PDA men have during past fortnight managed to clear about six kilometers track from Chandanwari onwards of snow and made it fit for tracking.
“Our men are on the job and they are progressing continuously as per the target. They have cleared six kilometers track of snow and, hopefully, they would be able to clear entire track well before start of the yatra,” he said.
Wani said number of more men would be deployed for snow clearance on the track in the next few days.
It may be mentioned here that 50 major snow avalanches and 20 landslides had occurred along 22 kilometers track of Shri Amarnath Ji shrine between Chhota Sheshnag to holy cave in South Kashmir Himalayas
However, according to sources, first 10 kilometers track from Chandanwari to Chhota Sheshnag was completely safe even now as there was no snow or any kind of avalanche and landslide on this portion of the track.
“First 10 kilometers of the track from Chandanwari onwards were without any snow but remaining 22 kilometers of the track is snow bound. The snow on this portion of the track ranged from six feet to 10 feet,” they said, adding it was in the snow bound part of traditional track that major snow avalanches and landslides have occurred.
This year’s annual pilgrimage to Shri Amarnath ji shrine in South Kashmir Himalayas is starting on July 2 and will conclude on August 18 coinciding with Shravan Purnima and Raksha Bandhan.
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