Amarnath Yatra 2023: Real-time tracking of pilgrims, 5 lakhs in insurance... deploying medical personnel and making serious Amarnath Yatra preparations

 

Amarnath Yatra Planning: Union Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed the Amarnath Yatra planning, which will begin on July 1. Each pilgrim will receive a $5 lakh insurance policy, and RFID tags will be provided so that everyone may be tracked in real time. Additionally, nighttime flight service will be made available from Jammu and Srinagar.

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated on Friday that the smooth travel of Amarnath pilgrims is a top concern for the Narendra Modi administration. He also instructed the authorities to provide appropriate security along the whole pilgrimage route in Jammu and Kashmir. The Home Minister made this statement while presiding over a high-level conference with senior representatives of the Central Government, Army, and Jammu and Kashmir government to evaluate the Amarnath Yatra preparations. Beginning on July 1 and lasting for 62 days, pilgrims will travel to the sacred cave of Amarnath, which is 3,880 metres above sea level in the South Kashmir Himalayas, to pay homage to Baba Barfani.

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The Home Minister stated during the meeting that the Amarnath pilgrims' comfort and ease of access to 'darshan' are top priorities for the Narendra Modi administration. He gave the go-ahead to undertake thorough security arrangements throughout the whole Amarnath Yatra route, according to an official release. Baltal and Pahalgam are the two routes used by pilgrims in Jammu and Kashmir. All pilgrims will receive RFID cards so that their current position can be tracked, and they would all receive insurance coverage totaling Rs. 5 lakh, it was announced during the conference. Each animal transporting the pilgrims would have a Rs 50,000 insurance policy.

There will be nighttime aviation service between Jammu and Srinagar.

Amit Shah emphasised the need of making everything as easy as possible for the pilgrims on the path from the airport and train station to the base camp and gave the order to offer night air service from Srinagar and Jammu. The Minister of the Interior also asked for the availability of additional groups of doctors and mandated to ensure appropriate stock of oxygen cylinders and their refilling. He gave the order to make sure there were enough beds and that ambulances and helicopters were available to handle any medical emergencies. Shah gave the order to make all essential preparations for the pilgrims' transportation, lodging, use of electricity and water, communication, and health. He oversaw the use of equipment to provide improved communication along the routes for pilgrims.

There will be complete consideration for the comfort of pilgrims

Along with this, it added in a statement, tent settlements, Wi-Fi hotspots, and appropriate lighting arrangements will be erected on the yatra routes. 'Baba Barfani Ke Darshan', live broadcasts of the morning and evening aartis in the revered Amarnath cave, as well as religious and cultural events, will also be held at the base camps, it added. Manoj Sinha, the lieutenant governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Lt. Gen. Upendra Dwivedi, the union home secretary, Ajay Bhalla, and Tapan Deka, the head of the intelligence bureau, were among the senior officials present at the meeting. Sources claim that information has been acquired suggesting that terrorist organisations with a stronghold in Pakistan may attempt to obstruct the pilgrimage. The discussion included participation from all parties involved in the pilgrimage, and all topics pertaining to the preparations being made for it were covered.

5 lakh worshippers can now access Amarnath

3.45 lakh devotees visited Baba Barfani last year, and it is anticipated that this year's total will exceed five lakh. According to sources, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has started looking for suitable locations for the pilgrim camps due to the threat of any potential natural disaster. You may be aware that 16 worshippers perished in flash floods close to the sacred cave last year as a result of heavy rainfall. 

According to sources, it is possible for Indian Air Force helicopters to conduct aerial inspections to look for glacial phenomena and lake formation in the top portion of the sacred cave. The likelihood of flash floods in the lower reaches rises as a result of glacial episodes and the creation of lakes.

Alert the administration to prevent a natural disaster

According to sources, the airborne assessment was only done after the June flash floods of last year; this time, it will be done before the yatra begins and at regular intervals throughout the two-month trek. He said that a team with knowledge of satellite remote sensing, hydrology, and disaster response might conduct an airborne survey. According to sources, emergency precautions will be implemented along the entire pilgrimage path, particularly in the vicinity of the Amarnath cave, in the event that severe water accumulation occurs. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has been given until June 15 to clear the snow off both of the routes leading to the Amarnath cave, Baltal and Pahalgam, according to reports.