Amarnathji Yatra in Kashmir to commence on June 7th

 Restrictions imposed on movement of Amarnath Yatra from Sonamarg to cave till further orders

           Srinagar,May 13 This year’s Yatra to the Holy Shrine of Shri Amarnathji in Jammu and Kashmir will commence on 7 June, 2009 and conclude on Raksha Bandhan which falls on 5 August, 2009.

            According to a Spokesman of Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB), the Governor, N N Vohra, who is also the Chairman of the Board, has taken a decision in this regard after broad based consultations with various concerned quarters and after personally undertaking extensive aerial and on-ground reconnaissance surveys in the last two weeks, along both the tracks to the Holy Cave, from Baltal and Pahalgam.  The SASB, in its 16th Board Meeting held in New Delhi on 2nd February, 2009, had authorized the Chairman to decide the Yatra schedule, the Spokesman added.

            The registration of the Yatris for this year’s Yatra, on both the routes viz. Pahalgam and Baltal, will commence, with effect from 20th May, 2009, in 110 designated branches of the Jammu and Kashmir Bank, located all over the country. While no registration of pilgrims from the Pahalgam route will be allowed beyond 2nd August, the registration in respect of the Baltal route will close on the 4th of August 2009. The registration will be done on “First Come First Serve Basis”. The registration counters at the designated branches of the Jammu and Kashmir Bank shall remain open from 3 PM to 6 PM on all working week days and 1 PM to 4 PM on all working Saturdays during the registration period.

            The Spokesman of the Board has requested all persons intending to undertake the pilgrimage to complete the necessary formalities for registration and, in their own interest, ensure proper registration before proceeding on the Yatra so that no inconvenience is faced by any Yatri with regard to the date of his/her Yatra and the route to be followed. The requisite forms for the purpose of registration can be collected from the designated Jammu and Kashmir Bank branches, across the country, by paying an amount of Rs.15 per form as handling charges. To ensure smooth conduct of the registration process, the J&K Bank has been requested to open two separate windows at each of its designated branches. The registration can also be made through the J&K Bank on its on-line service: www.jkbank.net/yatra2009. The Bank is also making arrangements for issuance of an Accident Insurance Cover for the interested Yatris. The Spokesman clarified that seeking such an Accident Insurance Cover is optional and not mandatory.

         The Spokesman of the Board has also urged the pilgrims to strictly adhere to the Yatra-schedule announced by the Board and, under no circumstances, to venture on the arduous track ahead of the official commencement of the Yatra since all the necessary facilities will be in place only by the date of commencement of the Yatra. It is in this background, as well as in the interest of security and discipline, that the Board had announced last week that no pilgrim, service provider or families of Army/ Security Forces personnel would be allowed to undertake the journey on the tracks, before the official commencement of Yatra.

          The Shrine and each of the various concerned Government agencies are being geared up for making necessary arrangements at the Base Camps and all along both the routes to the Cave Shrine. Due emphasis is being laid on the preservation and conservation of ecology and environment of the area. A plan is also being currently implemented to clean the entire Base Camp areas in Baltal and Nunwan and action is underway to collect all plastic and solid wastes to ensure sanitary conditions and a clean environment. Necessary measures are also underway to ensure that all waste materials are timely collected, segregated and transported for effective disposal. It is planned to launch a concerted campaign to prohibit the use of plastic bags/materials and shedders are being installed at the Base Camps for shredding plastic bottles and other materials. A detailed Monitoring Protocol for monitoring the discharge into the water bodies would be worked out, finalized and put into force before the commencement of the Yatra.

 Meanwhile the District Magistrate, Ganderbal has imposed restrictions under Section 144 for travelling from Sonamarg to Baltal and holy cave from today till further orders in view of reports that some people are making efforts to go to the holy cave before the Yatra officially commences. The move has been taken in view of apprehensions of threat to life and property which exist due to glaciers and other hazards yet to be cleared from the Yatra track.

Moreover, arrangements of drinking water and healthcare are also not available on this route as yet.

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