Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, July 28: Navin K. Choudhary, Chief Executive Officer, SASB, Preet Pal Singh, Additional CEO, SASB, and other concerned Shrine Board officers reviewed the ongoing Yatra in a meeting held here today.
Consequent to the review, the CEO informed the Governor, N. N. Vohra, who is Chairman of the Board, that 6,05,665 Yatris had performed Darshan at the Holy Cave Shrine by last evening as compared to 6,09,674 Yatris who had paid obeisance at the sanctum during the corresponding period of Yatra 2011. The CEO stated that this year 5,08, 464 pilgrims had secured registration uptil 27th July 2012, as against 2, 59, 897 Yatris during the entire Yatra 2011 in which 6.35 lakh pilgrims had paid obeisance at the Shrine. This year’s registration includes 99, 536 pilgrims who had secured On-Spot registration, till last evening, against 99,315 pilgrims who had secured On-Spot Registration during yatra 2011.
The CEO informed the Governor that of the 93 pilgrims who had lost their lives during the ongoing yatra due to accidents and medical reasons, 47 casualties had taken place on the Pahalgam-Chandanwari-Sheshnag route, 34 on the Baltal route and 12 pilgrims had passed away after admission to hospitals in Srinagar. Of them, 71 were males and 22 females of varying age groups. The CEO disclosed that of the total number of pilgrims who had lost their lives, 86 had died due to medical reasons and 7 in accidents in the yatra area.
The Governor while expressing serious concern over the unfortunate deaths of 86 pilgrims due to medical reasons during the first 33 days of the pilgrimage, in the Yatra area, reiterated his directions to the CEO to yet again publicize the Do’s and Don’ts and the Health Advisory issued to the Yatris by the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board and also, side by side, ask the Police personnel, particularly those manning the Control Gates, not to allow any one to cross the barrier who appeared to be sick or unwell or did not possess a valid Health Certificate.
The CEO once again appealed to all those already in the Base Camps and to those intending to undertake the Yatra to take every prescribed precaution and no person who has any medical or orthopaedic ailment, or any breathing, chest or heart problem should even think of undertaking this arduous yatra, which involves climbing upto nearly 14,000 feet. Trekking in the high altitude route to the holy cave is difficult and, besides, inclement weather also poses challenges for the pilgrims.
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