First batch of Amarnath pilgrims begins journey towards cave shrine from Baltal base camp

GANDERBAL (Jammu and Kashmir): The annual Amarnath Yatra began on Saturday with the first batch of pilgrims starting their journey from Baltal base camp in Jammu Kashmir’s Ganderbal to Amarnath Cave.

The Yatra was flagged off by Deputy Commissioner, Ganderbal, Shyambir, along with senior officials of the Shri Amarnath Ji Shrine Board and the police at the Baltal base camp.

“Today we are sending off the first batch of passengers from here. I wish everyone a happy journey. Passengers are requested to take advantage of all the facilities available to them. Right now, there are around 7,000 to 8,000 passengers. Registration is still going on. Our volunteers are everywhere to help”, Shyambir, Deputy Commissioner of Ganderbal, said.

The 62-day pilgrimage will culminate on August 31. The pilgrims will undertake a 12-km journey from the base camp to the holy Amarnath cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas located at an altitude of about 13,000 feet.

The first batch of pilgrims reached Baltal base camp in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ganderbal on Friday for Amarnath Yatra 2023. They were received by the district administration at Kali Mata Temple at Tikri in Udhampur district in Jammu and Kashmir.

Baltal, in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district, is one of the twin routes for the annual pilgrimage and the other one is the Pahalgam route in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha flagged off the first batch of Amarnath Yatra pilgrims from the Jammu base camp in the wee hours on Friday.

In preparation for the Yatra, various ‘langar’ committees started their practice on Wednesday, three days in advance, to cater to the pilgrims.

The committees prepared sheds, cooking resources, and other raw materials on the Jammu Srinagar National Highway in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district. A total of 22 langars have been established this year at various points of the highway (NHW-44). Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday visited Yatri Niwas at Bhagwati Nagar and reviewed arrangements put in place for the pilgrims of the Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra.

Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, who is also the chairman of Shri Amarnath Ji Shrine Board, took stock of food and lodging of the pilgrims, security, functioning of the Joint Control Room, langer stalls, registration counters, power and water supply, health facilities, sanitation, transportation, deployment of health and sanitation staff, installation of mobile toilets, fire tenders and emergency services on Thursday.

The Lt Governor directed the officials to increase the manpower for health, sanitation and other essential services. He welcomed pilgrims from across the country who have arrived at Yatri Niwas for Shri Amarnath Ji pilgrimage. During the interaction, the Lt Governor also enquired about the facilities.

Ramesh Kumar, Divisional Commissioner Jammu informed the Lt Governor that the holding capacity of pilgrims at Samba and Kathua has been increased from the last year and additional buses have been stationed at the key locations of pilgrimage.

Meanwhile, the Jammu district administration, along with police, detected about 300 fake registration permits for the Amarnath Yatra on Friday. Jammu Deputy Commissioner Avny Lavasa said, “An FIR has already been filed in this matter, and a police investigation is also under way”.

She also advised the pilgrims to “register only from the official website of Shri Amarnath Shrine Boards or the designated registration counters installed for the purpose”. The Deputy Commissioner further urged the pilgrims “to verify their registration permits to avoid any kind of inconvenience during the holy yatra.”

The Jammu and Kashmir administration had busted a racket for issuing fake registration slips to Amarnath pilgrims on Thursday when two buses carrying devotees from Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh reached Jammu.

When the bus carrying 68 Amarnath pilgrims arrived at Shri Chichi Mata Mandir, Samba, for e-KYC verification and the issuance of RFID cards, the fraud came to light. On verification by the vigilant e-KYC Team of Samba district, led by the District Informatics Officer, it was found that the yatra permits of most of the pilgrims were tampered with.

On further inquiry from the pilgrims and drivers, it revealed that these passengers got permits in exchange for Rs 7,000 per head from Rahul Bhardwaj, an agent of Vikas Bus Services operating from Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh.

Under the supervision of Samba District Magistrate Abhishek Sharma and SSP Benam Tosh, the administration immediately swung into action, and the police took cognizance of the incident. Consequently, an FIR under Sections 420/468 of the IPC has been registered at Samba police station. (ANI)