Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 31: Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), which had last year drawn flak from various Hindu organisations for curtailing period of Amarnath yatra to 39 days from two months, today announced that pilgrimage during the current year would be of 55 days duration, beginning June 28. The yatra in South Kashmir Himalayas would conclude on August 21 coinciding with Raksha Bandhan and Sharavan Purnima.
A decision to this effect was taken by the SASB in its Board meeting held at New Delhi today under the chairmanship of Governor NN Vohra, who happened to be the Chairman of the SASB. The meeting lasted three hours.
Incidentally, Mr Vohra is completing his five years term, unless extended by the Union Government, as Governor of the State on June 25 this year, three days ahead of the start of the yatra.
Last year, the pilgrimage to holy cave shrine of Lord Shiva, located at a height of 13,500 feet from the sea level in Anantnag district of South Kashmir, had lasted just 39 days from June 25 to August 2. In addition to less duration, the Shrine Board and the State Government had also faced criticism for about 100 deaths due to lack of adequate medical facilities prompting the Supreme Court to intervene and order setting up of State High Powered Committee (SHPC).
The Supreme Court had ordered various measures to be taken up by the SASB and the Government for welfare of the yatris including widening of the tracks, laying tiles, providing adequate medicare facilities, strict implementation of health certificates before the yatra among others.
The SASB meeting was attended by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Dr. Kapila Vatsyayan, Justice (Retd) G. D. Sharma, Pandit Bhajan Sopori, Vijay Dhar and Dr. (Prof.) Ved Kumari Ghai, all Members of the Board. Besides, Navin Choudhary, Chief Executive Officer of SASB and Preet Pal Singh, Additional Chief Executive Officer of the Shrine Board were also present.
Mr Choudhary said the SASB has from this year barred the pilgrims below age of 13, above age of 75 and women pregnant by six week from undertaking the yatra on medical grounds. He added that 7500 pilgrims would be registered for Baltal and Pahalgam per day per route basis. The pilgrims traveling by air from both the routes (Baltal and Pahalgam) would be in addition to the yatris registered for both routes. This means that about 16,000 pilgrims would be registered every day for 55 days yatra. The registration this year could start from March 1, 2013 as the intending pilgrims had to completed a lot of formalities.
The Shrine Board has decided to discontinue the on-line registration as it had last year detected that e-registration had been misused by a number of pilgrims by making fraudulent registration documents, Mr Choudhary said, adding that the decision to stop e-registration has been taken to avoid its misuse by the yatris.
Another significant decision taken by the SASB pertained to possession of Compulsory Health Certificate (CHC) by every pilgrim, which should have been issued by authorized doctors and Medical Institutes only after February 1, 2013. The SASB would obtain the list of authorized doctors and Medical Institutes from all States and Union Territories across the country and allow only those pilgrims, who possessed CHC issued by them.
“To ensure that yatra permits were not manipulated again this year by the pilgrims, the Shrine Board had decided to go for colour coded yatra permits. Colour codes of the permits would be changed every week’’, official sources said.
The Shrine Board has decided to perform ‘special pooja’ on June 23 on the occasion of ‘Jyesth Purnima’. The ‘pooja’ would be performed at holy cave shrine of Shri Amarnath ji, if possible, or enroute the track if the shrine and peripheries were snow bound.
The Shrine Board was of the view that the last year when the yatra had started on June 25, there was heavy snow on the tracks and the cave shrine. This year it would be starting the yatra on June 28 and hoped that the concerned agencies would be able to clear the tracks of snow ahead of the yatra to make journey of the pilgrims smooth.
In view of about 100 deaths last year due to medical grounds, the Shrine Board has decided that the Medical Aid Centres (MACs) would be set up after every two kilometers on both Baltal and Pahalgam tracks.
“All arrangements for the pilgrims including establishment of MACs, pre-fabricated shelters, tented accommodation, toilets, widening and improvement of tracks, setting up of langars and other facilities for the pilgrims would be made well ahead of start of the yatra depending upon clearance of snow’’, sources said, adding that some of the facilities have to be arranged by the civil administration and others by the Shrine Board. Pahalgam Development Authority (PDA) had to clear snow on Pahalgam track.
During 39 days pilgrimage last year, 6.21 lakh yatris had paid obeisance to holy Ice Lingam of Lord Shiva in the cave shrine at South Kashmir Himalayas. This year, the Shrine Board was expecting number of the pilgrims to swell.
In 2011, 6.36 lakh yatris had performed darshan at Shri Amarnath ji shrine while the number was 6.21 lakh in 2012, 4.55 lakh in 2010, 3.81 lakh in 2009, 5.33 lakh in 2008, 2.96 lakh in 2007, 3.47 lakh in 2006, 3.88 lakh in 2005, 4 lakh in 2004, 1.70 lakh in 2003, 1.1 lakh in 2002 and 1.19 lakh in 2001.
The Shrine Board was constituted in 2001 on the basis of Nitish Sen Gupta Commission report to manage affairs of the yatra after the tragedy on the track in which a large number of pilgrims were killed in snowstorm.
The Shrine Board would be issuing a detailed set of Advisories for the pilgrims through national and regional newspapers. It has approached Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry to telecast/broadcast its Advisories through Doordarshan and All India Radio for benefits of the pilgrims.
Sources said the Board noted the judgment passed by the Supreme Court on December 13, 2012 regarding the responsibilities of the Central and State Governments and the Shrine Board for arrangements to be made for future yatra to the shrine including the current year.
The SASB noted that the Supreme Court has accepted the report of Special High Powered Committee as a part of its judgment, and has constituted a Sub Committee comprising Chief Secretary, J&K, CEO, Shrine Board and Home Secretary, J&K, to implement the directions of the apex court.
The Supreme Court had earlier constituted a Special High Powered Committee (SHPC) to review the arrangements being made for the smooth conduct of the Yatra and suggest among other things the measures to upgrade the health facilities, track conditions, infrastructure in the Yatra area and steps to preserve the environment. The Shrine Board members were informed that a comprehensive Action Plan has been drawn up to implement the recommendations of SHPC and directions of the Supreme Court.
The CEO informed the Board members that the yatris would have to furnish a Compulsory Health Certificate while seeking registration for Yatra 2013. He stated that a Committee of Medical Experts drawn from the Union Health Ministry and the State Health Department had designed the format of the Compulsory Health Certificate and the yatris shall be required to submit information in the form of a self declaration about his/ her current health status, past medical history and various ailments from which he/she may be suffering or may have suffered in the past.
He further informed that for ensuring against the use of fraudulent Health Certificates, the Compulsory Health Certificate would be issued only by duly authorized doctors and Medical Institutes and further the Certificates issued after February 1, 2013 would be valid. The CEO said that all States and UTs have been asked to furnish a list of doctors/ Medical Institutes who would be authorized to issue the Compulsory Health Certificate to the eligible Yatris of the State/UT.
The Board directed the CEO, SASB, to issue very clear Advisories, from time to time, to inform every intending Yatri about the requirement of obtaining the prescribed Compulsory Health Certificate from the authorized doctors/medical institutes. The Board further directed the CEO to compile State-wise lists of authorized doctors/medical institutes and upload the information on Board’s website, www.shriamarnathjishrine.com, for the information of all intending Yatris.
Sources said the Board desired that the CEO should also publicize the information through the print and electronic media for several weeks before commencement of the yatra. In this context, the Board noted that the Chairman had sent a personal letter to Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting to seek the Ministry’s strong support for an effective education cum awareness programme being carried out through the national and regional channels of AIR and Doordarshan.
The Board directed the CEO to urgently follow up with the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to ensure early launch of the awareness campaign. The CEO was further directed to ensure effective publicity to make one and all aware about: (i) requirement on the part of every Yatri to furnish the prescribed Compulsory Health Certificate; (ii) details of the doctors/ medical institutes who are authorized by various States/ UTs to issue Compulsory Health Certificates; (iii) Do’s and Don’ts to be followed by the Yatris during the course of the Yatra.
The Board deliberated in detail the number of Yatris who would be granted Yatra Permits, date-wise and route-wise, for this year’s Yatra. “Keeping in view that it would not be possible, as directed by the Supreme Court, to upgrade the walking tracks along both the routes in the Yatra area before the commencement of this year’s Yatra, the Board decided that 7,500 Yatris, excluding Yatris who travel by helicopters from Baltal and Pahalgam to Panjtarni, would be allowed to register for the pilgrimage on per day per route basis’’, sources said, adding the Board further directed that, in view of the new procedures involved, particularly the Compulsory Health Certificate, the registration process should commence well ahead of the commencement of the Yatra but not later than March 1, 2013.
The Board also discussed the recommendations of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) regarding the upper and lower age limit of the Yatris who may be allowed to undertake the Yatra. The Board was informed that NDMA has recommended that no child under the age of 11 years, no person above the age of 80 years and no pregnant lady with more than six weeks pregnancy should be allowed to undertake the Yatra.
The Board noted that Nitesh K. Sen Gupta Committee had also recommended that no person under the age of 15 years and no person above the age of 65 years should ordinarily be encouraged to undertake the pilgrimage. The Board deliberated on the matter and decided that no one below the age of 13 years or above the age of 75 years and no pregnant lady with more than six weeks pregnancy should be allowed to undertake the Yatra.
Regarding registration, the Board noted that during Yatra 2012 internet generated e-Yatra Permits had been fraudulently duplicated and used by a large number of unregistered Yatris to enter into the Yatra area. It was decided that the provision of on-line facility would be discontinued to avoid misuse of Yatra Permits, particularly also because the on-line mode is not logistically compatible for verifying whether a Yatri possessed a valid Compulsory Health Certificate or not.
The Board stressed the need for the Police to ensure that no Yatri is able to embark on the Yatra who did not possess a Yatra Permit, which is valid for that route and the date on which he seeks to cross over. To facilitate police personnel deployed at the Access Control Gates at Domel and Chandanwari in determining whether a Yatri possesses a Yatra Permit valid for the relevant date and route, the Board decided that Yatra Permits should be colour coded on the proposed lines. Thus, for Yatra 2013 the Yatra Permit would be of a specified colour for each day of the week.
The Board was also briefed about the steps being taken to improve the health facilities in the Yatra area. The CEO informed that Medical Aid Centres (MACs) would be set up enroute to the Holy Cave at a regular distance of about 2 kms and that the State Health Department was procuring infrastructure, equipment and medicines for providing upgraded health facilities to the Yatris this year.
The Board was informed that the Union Health Ministry had asked other States/ UTs to depute Specialist doctors on deputation to J&K for the Yatra period for ensuring the health care of the pilgrims. The CEO informed that, as per the directions of the Supreme Court, for upgrading the proficiency of the doctors deployed in the Yatra area, training programmes are being organized in February-March 2013.
The Board was informed that a detailed Standard Operating Procedure was being formulated for the timely evacuation of ill/injured pilgrims with the assistance of State Disaster Management Authority and Air Force. In addition, Mountain Rescue Teams would also be deployed at identified places to help infirm Yatris in negotiating steep climbs in the Yatra area. The Board was informed that assistance was being sought from private players and NGOs for setting up Medical Camps in the Yatra area and for providing much needed assistance to unaccompanied sick/injured Yatris.
The Board also took note of the two memoranda submitted by Vishav Hindu Parishad and Baba Amarnath & Baba Buda Amarnath Yatri Niyas and deliberated upon the various suggestions put forth by them including their suggestions about the schedule and duration of Yatra.
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel