| Amarnath Yatra after two years to commence at full scale this year | | Govt mulling to rely on chopper services, electric cars in entirety, Div Coms asked to keep arrangements ready | | PEERZADA UMMER
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Mar 13: The Jammu and Kashmir government is mulling to start helicopter from Srinagar to Baltal followed with the battery car service for the first time in order to make this year’s Shri Amarnathji Yatra safe for the pilgrims in view of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Top sources within the government divulged that the divisional commissioners of both the regions of Jammu as well as of Kashmir have been asked to keep the preparations for this year’s Yatra ready and intact and that the government is expecting a huge rush of pilgrims this year as last year the annual pilgrimage couldn’t take place due to the outbreak of COVID-19 and the subsequent imposition of lockdown across the country for many months. However, this year, the government, as per sources, is planning to start the yatra on full with complete precautions and safety measures at large. Sources added further that a detailed meeting was held by the government in which the Jammu and Kashmir divisional administrations have been directed about preparing the travel infrastructure.
Furthermore, as per the sources, the government is mulling to start helicopter service from Srinagar to Baltal and battery car services on some part of the journey en route. Apart from this, new efforts are being made to give more convenience to Shiva devotees.
A senior official divulged that special attention will be focused on the health and safety of the devotees. The yatra had to be canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, while in the year 2019, due to the process of repealing Article 370, the yatra had to be closed on 1 August ahead of schedule. Two years later, more passengers are expected to arrive this time than in the past years. In the year 2011, 6 lakh 36 thousand devotees attended the pilgrimage while as in the year 2012; the number was 6 lakh 20 thousand. In 2013, 3 lakh 53 thousand attended the yatra while as in 2014 as many as 3 lakh 72 thousand were there. In 2015, there were as many as 3 lakh 52 thousand devotees who visited the holy cave while as in 2016; the number was 2 lakh 20 thousand. In 2017, it was 2 lakh 60 thousand and in 2018, the number was 2 lakh 85 thousand. In the year 2019, there were as many as 3 lakh 42 thousand devotees and in the year 2020, the yatra was canceled due to COVID.
The cave, housing the ice-sheet, is situated 14,500 kilometers above sea level in the Himalayan mountains of India’s northern state- Jammu and Kashmir.
Lakhs of devotees, every year, between the months of June and August, trek the rigorous rocky pathways snaking around mountains to reach the cave. |
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