High security: 74 addl companies being deployed

Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, May 29: About 74 additional companies of para-military forces would be mobilized for security of annual Amarnath pilgrimage this year as authorities across the State have geared up to make arrangements well in advance for annual 55 days long yatra, beginning June 28.
Over 2 lakh pilgrims have registered themselves across the country so far. The registration has been slow this year in view of strict implementation of the guidelines proposed by Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) especially those pertaining to medical fitness.
Official sources told the Excelsior that a series of security review meetings have been held by civil and police administration and more such meetings were in the pipeline in the upcoming days for ensuring fool-proof security for the pilgrims from Lakhanpur to Shri Amarnath ji cave shrine located at a height of 13,500 feet from the sea level in South Kashmir Himalayas.
The 55 days long yatra would begin on June 28 and culminate on August 21 on the occasion of Shravan Purnima and Raksha Bandhan.
“In addition to mobilization of local police, Indian Reserve Police, Armed Police etc, authorities have decided to mobilise 74 additional companies of para-military forces from within the existing resources as well as from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA),” sources said.
They added that the State Government would be formally requesting the MHA for deployment of additional companies for annual Amarnath pilgrims. However, with a lot of para-military forces deployed in various States to tackle the menace of Naxalites, there is little possibility of the MHA approving such a large companies of additional forces for the State.
The MHA could provide some companies and ask the State to mobilize rest of the companies from the existing deployment of various para-military forces including CRPF, ITBP, and SSB etc.
Sources maintained that from all resources they had to deploy 74 additional companies of para-military for the protection of the pilgrims from Lakhanpur to Qazigund on Jammu-Pathankot and Jammu-Srinagar National Highways, Baltal and Nunwan base camps in Kashmir, Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu and twin tracks of Baltal and Chandanwari.
Army and ITBP would man the heights of Shri Amarnath ji shrine while para-military forces would be deployed along the two tracks, base camps and highways along with local and reserve police.
Sources said threat perception to Shri Amarnath ji pilgrims hasn’t changed from the last year.
“It (the threat perception) was almost the same this year as it was the last year. Therefore, all security arrangements for upcoming annual pilgrimage would be same as they were last year,” they said, adding that the authorities were gearing up for the arrangements well ahead of the yatra.
The security arrangements would be in place in advance.
Meanwhile, over 2 lakh pilgrims have so far registered themselves for the yatra. The SASB had launched the registration process on March 20. Sources said the registration process was also this year as the Board has decided to allow medical fitness certificates only from the authorized Physicians across the country this year.
In the 55 days long yatra, 8.80 lakh pilgrims could register themselves as Shrine Board has decided to register 15,000 pilgrims per day-7500 each on Baltal and Chandanwari tracks and about 1000 by air from the two routes.
Previously, only Jammu and Kashmir Bank had been registering Shri Amarnath pilgrims while during past couple of years, the SASB had also incorporated YES Bank, a private sector bank in the list of pilgrims’ registration. Last year, some Cooperative Banks had also registered the yatris.
This year, the SASB has added State Bank of India (SBI), Punjab National Bank (PNB) and HDFC Bank, who have also been authorized to register the pilgrims for Shri Amarnath ji.
All five banks including two in private sectors (YES Bank and HDFC) have designated branches countrywide with fixed quota for registration of the pilgrims.
The Banks and the States have been allotted quota of registration.
The SASB has already decided to discontinue the process of on-line registration as the pilgrims had grossly misused the facility last year.
The Shrine Board has increased number of registration counters across the country from last year’s 276 to 422 this year, which would help the pilgrims to register themselves at their nearest destinations. Almost all major cities would have the registration counters.
The SASB has directed the Banks to ensure that no pilgrim was issued `Yatra Permit’ without Compulsory Health Certificate (CHC), whose format has been circulated by the Union Health Ministry and the State Health Department to all States and UTs.
The Shrine Board has already barred the persons below the age of 13 and above the age of 75 besides ladies with above six weeks pregnancy from undertaking the yatra.