J&K police say extra precautions taken for Amarnath Yatra

With the first batch of the Amarnath Yatra scheduled to leave from the city on June 27, the Jammu and Kashmir Police today said that they are taking "extra precautions" to ensure a safe and sound pilgrimage.

So far nearly three lakh people have registered for the annual yatra which will be flagged off from Jammu by minister for tourism GA Mir. "Whatever is required from the security point of view is being done. All necessary measures are being  taken. Extra precautions are being taken to ensure that there are no untoward incidents," IGP, Jammu, Rajesh Kumar, told PTI today. Asked about the additional deployment of forces in view of the recent attack on the Army convoy in Srinagar, the IGP said "During the Yatra there is always an additional deployment of the forces and this time around it is no different." Also read: 8 killed in Indian Air Force chopper crash in Uttarakhand However, on the functioning of the CCTV's which form an important part of watch and ward, the police officers said it will take some time before they are fully functional. "CCTV's are still non-functional, work is in progress to make them operational and we are hopeful that in the coming weeks they will be fully functional," he said. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Jammu, Atul Goel, meanwhile, said that special attention is being given to maintaining the security at railway station and at the places where the pilgrims will stay. He also informed that high level of security will also be maintained at the spot registration counters at Saraswati Dham, Vaishnavi Dham and Jammu Haat. On the traffic front, SSP Traffic Manmohan Singh said all incoming vehicles will report at the Yatri Niwas at Bhagwati Nagar and from there they will leave for the Yatra in the shape of convoys with a traffic inspector heading them to the destination on rotational basis. "The vehicles will be checked at Lakhanpur border and slips be pasted on the front of each vehicle in accordance with its destination, like the vehicles heading to Pahalgam will be issued a different slip, while the ones heading to Baltal will be given a separate slip," Singh added. "Apart from pasting a slip on the windscreen of the vehicle we will also provide a slip to the driver, mentioning the registration details of the vehicle and license number, so that if in any case the slip at the front of the vehicle is
lost the driver can ensure a hassle free journey by showing the other slip provided to him," he said. Meanwhile, District Development Commissioner Jammu, A K Sahu, said toll-free numbers will be made available at the Yatri Niwas apart from the round the clock operational control room at the Divisional Commissioner office. The facility will be in addition to the Police Control Room and the Yatra Control Room, which is established during the period of pilgrimage, he said. A pre-paid auto rickshaw booth at the railway station has been made functional from today, so that the people visiting to the city are not overcharged, Sahu said. A three-day training camp on tourist management, starting from today, is being organised for the matador drivers and other public transport operators to make them learn how to treat the visiting yatris, the district official said. The directorate of tourism said various steps being taken by the department for the smooth and hassle free stay of pilgrims in the state. The department also shared information on the spot-registration counters being set-up in the city. "We have set-up spot registration counters at Sarswati Dham and Vaishnavi Dham near Jammu Railway Station." A spot registration counter has also been put up at Jammu Haat, so that the pilgrims who are coming to the city don't have to face any problems," said Director Tourism Soujanya Sharma. He, however, said the spot-registration will be subject to the availability, as only 15,000 yatris will be allowed for the pilgrimage every day - 7,500 from Phelgam and an equal number from Baltal. "We have also made doctors available at these centres, so that necessary health certificates are issued to the devotees who visit these counters for spot registration. The doctors will examine them and if they want some more investigations to be done they will refer the pilgrims to the already notified hospitals in the city," Sharma said. Apart from the spot-registration counters, the tourism department has also established control rooms at Lakhanpur where they will provide information to the pilgrims about the spot registration and the dates of the pilgrimage. "Accommodation is also being provided to the visiting pilgrims at Yatri Niwas at Bhagwati Nagar on a nominal charge of Rs 10 per person. Apart from this we have also set-up transit accommodations at Kathua and Samba, so that if in any case the yatra is forced to stop the pilgrims don't have to suffer," he said.