Spiritually charged Amarnath Yatris all set to pay obeisance
*Token distribution for registration begins, dry run conducted
Sanjeev K Sharma
JAMMU, June 30: Raising religious slogans of “Jai Baba Barfani, Har Har Mahadev and Sanatan Dharam Ki Jai,” the high spirited pilgrims of annual Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra are reaching Jammu paying an absolute zero heed to the recent Pahalgam terrorist attack which claimed the lives of 26 civilians at the popular hill station of Kashmir on April 22 this year.
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These spiritually charged pilgrims from across the country are all set to pay obeisance at the naturally formed Ice Lingam in Kashmir Himalayas.
Acknowledging that he was very much aware of the Pahalgam terrorist attack, 51- year-old private sector worker, Jatinder Kumar Gangwa, from Bareilly (Uttar Pradesh), who was moving towards the Yatra base camp at Bhagwati Nagar in Jammu along with a group of 40 other colleagues, said: “Hum Bhole Ke Bhakat Hain, Bhole Ne Bulaya Hai, Kuchh Nahi Hoga (we are the devotees of Lord Shiva who has invited us and nothing will happen to us).”
He said that so far their journey remained smooth and expected the same till his return along with his team back to their homes. Click here to watch video
Almost similar views were echoed by Hari Shankar, 43, also a private sector worker, from Banaras, who was preparing for the holy Amarnath Ji pilgrimage for the second time.
However, Vivek Pratap Singh, 38, a businessman from Etawah (UP), said for the first time he was performing the pilgrimage of Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra with few of his friends and relatives.
“There is definitely a fear among the visiting pilgrims as 20 of our colleagues had dropped their plan for the Yatra after the Pahalgam terrorist attack on tourists,” he claimed.
When asked if the facilities for the visiting pilgrims were sufficient, he said that there was very poor arrangement for getting Yatra token at Saraswati Dham centre near Railway Station Jammu.
“It was a big crowd there and we were in queue for six long hours in this hot and humid weather and we were also baton-charged by cops on duty there,” he claimed adding that smooth arrangements should be put in place by the concerned authorities for the visiting pilgrims.
Saloni, 16, a class 11 student also from Etawah said that she had visited Jammu only once earlier for paying obeisance at the world famed shrine of revered Mata Vaishno Devi Ji in Katra.
“This time I am embarking for Amarnath Ji pilgrimage with my parents for the first time and we have no fear as I am seeing here a lot of men in uniform holding big guns and they all are for ensuring our safe journey,” she maintained.
However, there was not a heavy rush of pilgrims at the fortified Yatra base camp in Bhagwati Nagar where the authorities are leaving no stone unturned to ensure a safe pilgrimage.
Even the entry of journalists was restricted at the Yatra base camp by the orders of higher authorities.
Auto-rickshaws were busy in bringing the pilgrims at the base camp and en-route the base camp many hoardings were fixed on the poles and other higher places welcoming the pilgrims while the road from Canal Head to the Chowk of Bhagwati Nagar from where the fourth Tawi Bridge starts was in bad shape as construction work for a flyover was going on there.
Meanwhile, the token distribution centre for offline registration of the pilgrims was operationalised here on Monday.
The 38-day pilgrimage will commence from the twin tracks – the traditional 48-km-long Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the 14-km Baltal route in Ganderbal district – on July 3.
The first batch of pilgrims will leave for Kashmir from the Jammu-based Bhagwati Nagar base camp on July 2.
Authorities on Monday opened the token distribution centre at Saraswati Dham in Jammu.
“The distribution of tokens has started today. For this purpose, a token centre has been set up at Saraswati Dham, from where tokens are being distributed to pilgrims undertaking the Yatra on both routes – Pahalgam and Baltal,” Manu Hansa, Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Jammu South, told reporters.
He said after getting the tokens, the pilgrims can get themselves registered for the Yatra on Tuesday and undertake the pilgrimage beginning July 2 from the Jammu base camp in Bhagwati Nagar.
“The registration will begin tomorrow at three centres – Vaishnavi Dham, Panchayat Bhawan and Mahajan Sabha. This is the only centre from where devotees can get the token. The centre opens at 7 am,” he said.
The SDM said the per-day quota of tokens and registration is 2,000 each, and the counters will remain open till the daily quota is exhausted.
Ahead of the Yatra, the administration conducted a successful dry run of the convoy on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway to ensure a safe and trouble-free yatra.
Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar and Inspector General of Police Bhim Sen Tuti accompanied the convoy, which left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu around 4.30 am.
Deputy Commissioner Jammu Sachin Kumar told reporters that people should come in large numbers as the administration has made elaborate arrangements for a comfortable and secure pilgrimage.
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