Shri Amarnath Yatra: J&K govt kicks off preparations; 112 doctors designated to issue CHC

Srinagar: Preparations for Amarnath Yatra have started in Jammu and Kashmir.

Health certificates are being arranged in ten districts of the Jammu division, allowing pilgrims to initiate their journey from the specified date.

A total of 112 doctors have been designated to issue Compulsory Health Certificates (CHC) from health centers across the region, a prerequisite for advance passenger registration.

Shri Amarnath Shrine Board hinted at a potential commencement date for the yatra as June 29. The exact date for passenger registration will be unveiled in the coming days. Traditionally, health certificates issued from March 15 onwards are considered valid for passenger registration. However, last year’s registration process commenced in mid-April.

Directorate of Health Services, Jammu has submitted the details of nominated doctors to the government, soon to be accessible on the Shrine Board’s website.

The annual Shri Amarnath Yatra is likely to begin on June 29.

Official sources said that Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, who is also Chairman of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board, chaired a meeting at Raj Bhawan a few days ago to discuss arrangements and preparations for the yatra.

The 52-day-long pilgrimage will conclude on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan on August 19

“After the conclusion of the Lok Sabha Polls, the administration will get busy with Shri Amarnath preparations, which is likely to commence from June 29 and conclude on August 19,” sources added.

Sources said that the registration for the Yatra is expected to begin later next month in branches of various banks,” adding they said, “As soon as the official announcement of the Yatra is made, preparations thereafter will be done on war footing.”

The live telecast of Aarti for the Yatra will start in July. In 2023, around 4.5 lakh pilgrims visited Shri Amarnath Cave.

Last year, around 4.5 lakh pilgrims visited the cave during the 62-day annual Amarnath Yatra.

More than 50 medical facilities, 440 clinical beds, and 26 oxygen booths were created along the Yatra route and the health of devotees was given the top priority. Optical fiber cables were laid on both routes by Telecom providers along with many other facilities.

Yatri feedback through a Rapid Assessment System (RAS) was put in place and daily real-time feedback from pilgrims on both axis was collected. 95% of pilgrims had rated the services as ‘Good’.

Situated at 3,888 meters, the holy Amarnath cave is accessible from two routes in Kashmir Valley. The 46-km Pahalgam–Holy cave trek is an ancient pilgrimage route that is covered in five days. There lies the ice lingam of Lord Shiva that is formed naturally and waxes and wanes with the moon. The pilgrims now prefer the 14-kilometer Baltal-Holy cave route since it is shorter though steep, and the journey can be completed in a day. 

Police, CRPF, and SSB personnel looked after the internal security of the yatra and highway, army’s Rashtriya Rifles were conducting area dominations in the forests and villages on the yatra’s route. ITBP was deployed for their swiftness in responding to natural calamities at such heights.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Kashmir Monitor staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)