| Amid tight security, first batch of Amarnath pilgrims to leave Jammu today | | |  Early Times Report
Jammu, June 26: Amid multi-tier security cover, the first batch of pilgrims for the annual Amarnath Yatra will leave from Jammu's Bhagwati Nagar base camp tomorrow.
Till now nearly 2 lakh pilgrims from across the country have registered themselves for the yatra to the cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas.
The pilgrims, including sadhus, have started arriving in Jammu from various parts of the country. The first batch of yatris will leave for the twin base camps of Baltal and Pahalgam in Kashmir, in a fleet of vehicles under tight security in the early hours tomorrow, officials said.
They will reach the base camps of Baltal in Ganderbal and Nunwan-Pahalgam in Anantnag districts in Kashmir later in the day. The pilgrims would start their onward journey to the 3,880 metre high cave shrine by foot, the next day, marking the commencement of the pilgrimage. Security officials said 1.96 lakh pilgrims have so far registered themselves for the yatra, which will for the first time see the use of radio frequency (RF) tags on Amarnath- bound vehicles and CRPF motorcycle squads in action.
Security arrangements around the base camps, temples, railway stations, bus stands and other crowded places here have been strengthened, the officials said.
This year, the government has decided to monitor each vehicle carrying Amarnath pilgrims with radio frequency (RF) tag and to extend the validity of temporary prepaid mobile connections taken by pilgrims from seven days to 10 days. |
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