Shah to review preparedness for Amarnath Yatra on Tuesday

New Delhi, May 16 (IANS) Home Minister Amit Shah will chair a high-level meeting with all the stakeholders at the North Block on Tuesday to review the preparedness for the upcoming Amarnath Yatra, sources in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said on Monday.

The Yatra, which was suspended in 2020 and 2021 owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, will begin on June 30 and conclude on August 11. A large number of devotees are expected to join annual the pilgrimage this year.

J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, police chief Dilbag Singh along with other senior officials will participate in the meeting, which will also be attended by the top officials of the Intelligence Bureau, Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police and the Sashtra Seema Bal.

This is the first meeting on the Amarnath Yatra to be chaired by the Home Minister.

The officials in the ministry said that Dilbag Singh will make a presentation in the meeting about the security preparedness for the annual pilgrimage, while other J&K officials will detail the civic amenities which will be provided to the devotees during the Yatra.

The deployment of security forces will also be decided during the meeting and it is learnt that around 35,000 central security personnel, apart from the J&K police, will be deployed to provide security cover from the base camp at Baltal and Pahelgam to the holy cave, the officials said.

The J&K administration has been directed to make elaborate arrangements for the pilgrims, which can go up to around seven lakh this year.

Shah will also review the preparedness of the facilities to be provided to the pilgrims this time. It is learnt that the J&K government, for the first time, will set up tent townships at two places along the route to the holy cave, on the lines of the Kumbh Mela at Prayagraj along with medical facilities such as two make-shift hospitals.

Earlier on May 12, Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla had chaired a high-level meeting on the preparedness of the Amarnath Yatra and discussed the preparations made so far.