Pahalgam, June 17
The Jammu and Kashmir Government is introducing, for the first time, an insurance cover for Amarnath pilgrims besides offering a special tourist package to facilitate their extended stay in the valley on concessional rates.The Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed will also take up with the Union Civil Aviation Minister the issue of a helicopter service to the Amarnath shrine to facilitate the pilgrimage of aged and infirm pilgrims, an official spokesman said today adding that about 1,50,000 pilgrims from across the country were expected to visit the Amarnath caves during the month-long annual ‘yatra’ commencing from July 12.
Every day, 3,500 pilgrims would be allowed to proceed for the pilgrimage — 2,700 from the Pahalgam route and 800 from the Baltal track, he said, adding that all arrangements for the pilgrimage were finalised at a meeting held under the chairmanship of the Governor, Lt-Gen S.K. Sinha (retd), who was also the Chairman of the Shree Amarnath Shrine Board.
Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Deputy Chief Minister Mangat Ram Sharma, PDP President and Pahalgam MLA Mehbooba Mufti, Chief Secretary Sudhir S. Bloeria, Financial Commissioner S.D. Singh, Director-General of Police Gopal Sharma, GOC 15 Corps Lt-Gen. V.G. Patankar, Chairman Jammu and Kashmir Bank M Y Khan and other senior civil, police and army officers participated in the meeting.
The special tourist package of Jammu and Kashmir Bank and the JKTDC, offers an eight-day and seven-night stay in the valley, including the pilgrimage, at Rs 3,900 per head for travelling in the coach and Rs 4,800 per head in a Sumo.
The tour package starts and culminates at Jammu railway station. It envisages visit to Pahalgam in one day and to the cave shrine in next three days, while on the fourth day, the pilgrims will be brought to Srinagar via the Baltal route and be taken around to places of tourist interest in Srinagar. The next day, they will be taken to Gulmarg, where they will spend the night and be taken back to Jammu the next day.
The tour package include transportation, room accommodation on twin sharing basis at Srinagar and Gulmarg, tented accommodation on sharing basis during yatra period and fixed vegetarian meals.
Insurance cover for the Amarnath pilgrims for Rs 1 lakh, on the pattern of Vaishno Devi, is also being introduced for the first time. Arranged through Jammu and Kashmir Bank, it entails paying a premium of Rs 20 at the time of the registration.
Eighty branches of Jammu and Kashmir Bank in the country are currently registering the yatris for the Amarnath pilgrimage, while a temporary counter has been set up at Dehra Dun to facilitate registration of pilgrims from Uttaranchal as there is no branch of the bank in the state.
The registration for pilgrims from Nepal will be done at the Patna branch.
UNI
