Amarnath Yatra 2017 registrations begin: Shrine board issues guidelines for annual pilgrimage

About half a year after more than 2.2 lakh pilgrims took part in the Amarnath Yatra from July 2 to August 18 in 2016, the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) has begun the registration process for the Amarnath Yatra 2017 to be conducted from June 29 to August 7.

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The SASB has also released a step-by-step registration process for pilgrims. Here's the guidelines:

1. The registration and issue of Yatra Permit (YPs) will be done on a first-come-first-served basis.

2. The registration of Yatris will commence from all the bank branches from March 1, 2017.

3. One Yatra Permit shall be valid for registering only one Yatri.

4. Each registration branch has been allotted a fixed per day/per route quota for registering the Yatris. The registration branch shall ensure that the number of Yatris registered does not exceed the allotted per day/per route quota.

5. No one below the age of 13 years or above the age of 75 years and no woman with more than six week's pregnancy shall be registered for the Yatra.

6. Every Yatri will have to submit an application form and Compulsory Health Certificate (CHC) to obtain the Yatra Permit. The formats of the application form and CHC, and the list of doctors or medical institutions authorised to issue CHC are available on the SASB's website: www.shriamarnathjishrine.com.

7. The application form and the CHC shall be made available free of cost to the applicant Yatri by the registration branch.

8. To apply for the Yatra Permit, the applicant will submit the following documents to the Registration Officer:

1. filled-in prescribed application form; and
2. prescribed CHC issued on or after February 10, 2017 by an authorised doctor or medical institution.
3. four passport sized photographs (three for Yatra Permits and one for the application form).

9. The registration officer shall check the following:

1. whether the Application Form has been correctly filled in and signed by the applicant Yatri.
2. whether the CHC has been issued by the authorised doctor/ medical institution;
3. whether the CHC has been issued on or after February 10, 2017.

10. The specific day on which a pilgrim is registered to undertake the Yatra (i.e., Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday) has been printed on the Yatra Permit. The day printed on the Yatra Permit is the day on which the Yatri will be allowed to cross the Access Control Gates at Baltal and Chandanwari (Pahalgam).

11. The bank branch shall ensure that the date for which the Yatra Permit is issued for crossing the Access Control Gates matches with the day (i.e., Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday) printed on the Yatra Permit before issuing the Permit to the Yatri.

12. In the Yatra Permit forms, the Yatra year and date of Yatra has not been printed. Therefore, it is mandatory for the issuing bank branch to stamp or write the Yatra year and date of Yatra and paste the date and year so written or stamped with a transparent tape (pasting of transparent tape is important in order to make the date and year of Yatra tamper-proof). However, the stamping of the date, year and Bank branch shall be done only at the time of issuance of the Yatra Permit. In no case, should any Yatra Permit be stamped in advance. This aspect be ensured positively.

13. If the application form and CHC are in order, the registration officer shall issue a YP to the applicant against a payment of Rs 50 per Yatra Permit (of the aforesaid amount, Rs 35 will be remitted in the SASB's account and the remaining amount shall be retained by the bank) after following the steps mentioned in Paras 15-17.

14. The registration officer shall affix the passport-size photographs and fill in the Yatra Permit form on the spot as per the details mentioned in the application form and the CHC. The date of the Yatra should be also filled in correctly.

15. The registration officer shall sign the Yatra Permit and apply the Bank Branch Seal on the Yatra Permit in such a way that the Seal is partly imprinted on the photograph of the applicant Yatri and partly on the YP. However, the stamping of the date, year and bank branch shall be done only at the time of issuance of Yatra Permit. In no case should any Yatra Permit be stamped in advance. This aspect be ensured positively.

16. Before issuing the Yatra Permit to the applicant Yatri, the registration officer shall record the following particulars:

1. Date of issue of Yatra Permit
2. The Serial Number of Yatra Permit.
3. Name, address and telephone/mobile number of the applicant Yatri.
4. Name of the next of kin of the applicant, to be contacted in case of any emergency.
5. Route of Pilgrimage.
6. Date of embarking on the Yatra from Baltal/Pahalgam.

17. The registration official shall issue YPs bearing BALTAL for Baltal route and PAHALGAM for the Pahalgam route.

It may be noted that the SASB has also issued guidelines for group registrations, which can be found here: