Centre pulling out all stops to conduct Amarnath Yatra on grand scale this year
The Hindu
Pilgrimage is being held after three years and will be the first since provisions of Article 370 were scrapped
The Union government is pulling out all stops to organise the Amarnath Yatra in Jammu and Kashmir on a grand scale this year to reflect the overall improvement on the security front in the newly created Union Territory.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration and police have been asked to brace for around 8 lakh pilgrims for the yatra to the holy shrine in south Kashmir, which will commence on June 30 and conclude on August 11.
Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla and Director of Intelligence Bureau Arvinda Kumar arrived in Srinagar on April 14 on a two-day visit to review the security preparedness for the yatra. The senior officials will to assess the preparation for the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Jammu on April 24.
Earlier this week, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Director-General Kuldiep Singh and Inspector-General (Operations) Nalin Prabhat reviewed the deployment and other measures for the annual pilgrimage. The CRPF deploys the largest number of personnel for the yatra.
A senior government official said that the yatra saw the arrival of around 6.3 lakh pilgrims in 2011, one of the highest footfalls in a decade, and plans were afoot to scale up the numbers. After the 2016 unrest in the Kashmir Valley, post the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani, there had been a steep decline in the number of pilgrims enrolling for the yatra.
The year 2018 saw the arrival of 2.85 lakh pilgrims, the highest after the 2016 unrest when hundreds were killed and several injured due to pellet guns. In 2019, the yatra was abruptly called off on August 2, days before the government moved a legislation in Parliament to revoke the applicability of Article 370 of the Constitution in J&K, which granted the former State special status.
In 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015, the number of pilgrims stood at 6.21 lakh, 3.54 lakh, 3.72 lakh and 3.53 lakh respectively.
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