The 38-day annual pilgrimage to 3,880 metres high holy cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir will commence on July 3, an official spokesperson said on Wednesday.

The decision to this effect was taken at the 48th board meeting of Shri Amarnath Ji Shrine Board (SASB) under the chairmanship of Lt Governor Manoj Sinha at Raj Bhawan, he said.

“This year, the yatra will commence on July 3, simultaneously from both the routes – the Pahalgam track in Anantnag district and Baltal in Ganderbal district, and it will culminate on August 9 on Raksha Bandhan,” the spokesperson said.

He said the meeting was attended by members of the shrine board which proposed various measures and interventions to further improve the facilities and services for the devotees.

Considering the likely increased inflow of pilgrims for the Amarnath Yatra, the meeting discussed measures for the enhancement of lodgement capacity at centres in Jammu, Srinagar and other locations, operationalization of yatri facilitation centres for e-KYC, issuance of RFID cards, on-spot registration of pilgrims at number of locations including Nowgam and Katra railway stations, the spokesperson said.

He said it was further discussed that these facilities must also be suitably enhanced at Baltal, Pahalgam, Nunwan, and Pantha Chowk Srinagar, as per the requirement.

Reviewing the progress achieved on various ongoing works undertaken by the line departments, the LG stressed on the need for ensuring adequate arrangements and requisite amenities at various locations enroute the yatra. He also called for increasing capacity at Yatri Niwas, Pantha Chowk, Srinagar, the spokesperson said.

The meeting also discussed ongoing projects; dissemination of yatra-related information; insurance cover to yatris, service providers, ponies; extension of online services by the shrine board; and widening and maintenance of yatra tracks, he said.

The spokesperson said decongestion measures at holy cave and lower holy cave area, disaster preparedness and mitigation measures, adequate provisioning of Heli services, medical care facilities, weather forecasting infrastructure, and security among others were also deliberated in detail in the meeting.

The LG felicitated the board members and expressed gratitude for their valuable contribution and continuous guidance in successful conduct of the yatra. 

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