Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Sunday chaired the 41st Board meeting of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board here at the Raj Bhavan. During the meeting, it was decided that this year, the 43-day holy pilgrimage will commence on June 30 with all covid protocols in place and will culminate, as per the tradition, on the day of Raksha Bandhan, August 11, 2022. Further, the online registration for Shri Amarnath Yatra will start from April 11. During the Board meeting, the Lt Governor, Members of the Board- Swami Avdheshanand Giri Ji Maharaj; D C Raina, Kailash Mehra Sadhu; K. N. Rai; K.N.Shrivastava; Pitambar Lal Gupta; Dr. Shailesh Raina; Prof Vishwamurti Shastri and the senior officers of UT administration also had in-depth discussions on various issues on upcoming Yatra. The Lt Governor called on the officials to be proactive and ensure elaborate arrangements for conducting smooth Yatra as large number of devotees are expected to arrive to pay their obeisance at the Holy Cave this year. He also said the government is introducing RFID system for pilgrims to track their movement en-route to ensure their well-being. He laid special emphasis on providing best-in-class health facilities to all the visiting devotees and service providers, strengthening telecommunication channels for Yatris, besides use of latest technological measures to achieve optimal synergy between the different government departments and agencies. Nitishwar Kumar, CEO, SASB gave a brief overview of the route map of the holy Shrine and various services being made available by the SASB en route and at the holy Cave. It was informed that key preparations have been made for this year’s Yatra. With increased capacity for accommodation, new Yatri Niwas Bhawans, augmented health facilities, upgraded tracks, telecommunication facilities, Heli Services, SASB App, year-long Insurance for Ponywaalas, many unique initiatives have been taken for the benefit of Yatris and service providers. Rahul Singh, Additional CEO, SASB briefed the meeting about the activities and development works being carried out in connection with the annual Yatra, besides presenting Agenda items before the Board. Several suggestions and inputs were presented by the members of SASB which included sustained media campaign via social media, mobile app and youtube videos for facilitating people with all the information regarding the Yatra viz-a viz: how to avail yatra services, do’s and don’ts, mandatory heath checkups. Shri Amartnath Shrine board has decided that the Yatra would commence simultaneously from both the routes – the Pahalgam track in Anantnag district and Baltal in Ganderbal district. The board has also decided to put in place a daily route-wise pilgrims ceiling to 10,000 excluding Yatri’s who would travel by helicopters. The board has also decided to extend the free-of-cost battery car service for Yatri’s at 2.75 Km-long Baltal to Domel stretch. The Lt Governor during the meeting also directed for sending special invites to Akhada Parishads, Acharya Parishads for facilitation of Sadhu and Sant Samaj. The Lt Governor said that all the suggestions made by the board members will be acted upon by the concerned officers of UT administration and SASB. He further directed the officers to complete all the ongoing infrastructure upgradation works by May end. The Lt Governor stressed on ensuring world-class sanitation arrangement on the track and in Yatra camps. He said that all the utilities on the track routes should be ready and made functional well before the commencement of yatra. The Lt Governor also called for wide publicity of the information regarding Shri Amarnath Yatra-2022. He further directed the officials to explore the possibility of involving additional public and private Banks and their branches for providing yatra permits. The Lt Governor also suggested for engaging research fellows for promoting and generating authentic literature and research books with regard to Shri Amarnath Shrine. The board will also enable live telecast of morning and evening Aarti (Prayers) for devotees across the globe. ‘Shri Amarnath Yatra’ App has been made available on the Google play store to get real time information about the Yatra, weather and for availing several services online. Dilbag Singh, DGP briefed the Board about the detailed security arrangement plan for the yatra. He said that besides mountain rescue teams, JKP will also install camps of health and medical care for the yatris. UNI VBH SHK2004
