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Protests mark Amarnath yatra Jammu, June 21 The pilgrims left in 10 vehicles this morning from Jammu for their onward journey via the Baltal route, official sources said. Over 5,500 pilgrims had already visited the cave shrine this year, Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) sources said. There would be no pilgrimage along the traditional Pahalgam route till July 6 due to snowfall there, the sources said. Meanwhile, a report from Srinagar said the J&K Governor, Lt-Gen S.K. Sinha performed “vrat puja” (prayers) at the holy cave, situated at an altitude of 3880 metres, accompanied by his staff and officials of the SASB, reports from Srinagar said. The special prayer marks the beginning of the two-month-long pilgrimage to the cave shrine which will conclude on August 19 coinciding with the festival of Raksha Bandhan. However, the first day of the yatra was marred by protests by pilgrims against the shrine board for not giving them clear information about the schedule of the journey. Hundreds of people, who had assembled at the Baltal base camp and were not allowed to proceed on security grounds, raised slogans against the board blaming it for the “chaos”. Many of them had reached the base camp to catch the helicopter service offered by the SASB to the cave shrine which had to be cancelled as the board had not sought prior permission from the state’s Director, Civil Aviation, to operate the services. Meanwhile, five BSF battalions had been deployed between Chandanwari and Baltal to sanitise the yatra route by carrying out offensive patrolling, specific raids in the vicinity of the route, surprise checking and IED raids, a BSF spokesman said. The BSF will also extend elaborate medical facilities to the yatris who fall sick during the arduous trekking, the spokesman said, adding that the force had established 12 medical camps supervised by the same number of doctors, 12 pharmacists and 24 paramedical staff on both the two axes. Mobile ambulances had also been placed at Baltal, Chandanwari, Lidru and Khannabal en route to the cave, the spokesman said, adding that a mobile medical team was available at Chandanwari axis to the holy cave and back once in a week. The spokesman said the BSF would also cater to disaster management.
— PTI  |
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