Early Times Report
Srinagar, June 30: Ahead of the Amarnath Yatra, a slew of top-tier security arrangements have been made, including the deployment of hi-tech gadgetry along the routes leading to the south Kashmir cave shrine, officials said on Monday.
For the first time, facial recognition systems (FRS) have been installed at strategic locations on both the Pahalgam and Baltal routes of Amarnath Yatra, and the installation of the technology has already yielded results with the arrest of two overground workers (OGWs) of terrorist organisations on June 19.
The FRS, which has been fed the images of active terrorists and suspected OGWs, alerts security forces on a real-time basis in case any blacklisted person comes into the frame of the surveillance cameras.
“As soon as any of the blacklisted persons walks into the frame, a hooter will go off at the surveillance centre manned by security forces so that steps to eliminate threat can be initiated in real time,” said an official involved in the installation of the systems.
Additionally, the entire yatra routes passing through Kashmir valley have been declared as “no fly zones” as authorities have banned the use of any UAVs or drones in these areas from July 1 to August 10.
The annual pilgrimage to the holy cave shrine, believed to be the abode of Lord Shiva, in south Kashmir Himalayas starts on July 3 and will culminate on August 9 to coincide with Raksha Bandhan.
The duration of the Yatra has been reduced to 38 days this year against 52 days last year.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has been visiting the base camps for the past week, reviewing the security and other arrangements for the pilgrims.
“I had a meeting with senior officers (of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board) and security agencies. After the meeting, I can say that the arrangements this year are much better. The coordination among the security agencies is good, and they are all alert,” Sinha told reporters at Baltal base camp on Monday.
Although a significant number of pilgrims have registered for this year’s pilgrimage even after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, the authorities are not taking any chance and have bolstered security with several other measures.
Furthermore, all vehicles plying on the routes and individual pilgrims will be tagged with radio frequency identification technology, which will help in monitoring their movement.
The entire route from Jammu to the holy cave has been brought under CCTV surveillance, and a three-tier security blanket has been thrown around all the base camps, officials said.
A large number of police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed for static guard duty along the Jammu-Srinagar highway. The deployment of security personnel has also been carried out at some vulnerable spots on link roads connecting with the highway.
Random checking of vehicles is being done from dawn till late at night to ensure that no hostile element is able to breach the security arrangements, a senior police official said.
The Amarnath pilgrims have been the subject of several terrorist attacks in the past.
Thirty-two people, including two dozen Amarnath pilgrims, were killed in a terror attack at the Nunwan base camp in August 2000, while 13 people were killed in another strike in July 2001 when the ultras struck at the Sheshnag base camp of the Yatra.
In 2002, terror struck at Chandanwari base camp, and 11 pilgrims were killed.
In July 2017, an attack on Amarnath Yatra bus in Kulgam district left eight pilgrims dead. |
