During this year's Amarnath Yatra, devotees of Lord Shiva will experience better tracks and other safety measures as the Border Roads Organization (BRO) has completed the task of widening the roads connecting the holy cave.
Interacting with media persons after the breakthrough ceremony of the Sungal tunnel on the Akhnoor-Poonch National Highway, Lt. Gen. Raghu Srinivasan, Director General of BRO, said that pilgrims intending to visit the Amarnath cave shrine this year can expect enhanced tracks.
"I recently visited the Baltal base camp. Our task last year was to widen the track, crucial for ensuring the safety of devotees. I am pleased to report that we have completed this widening work, surfacing it with blocks, and addressing curves and slopes," Lt. Gen. Srinivasan informed reporters.
He added that the BRO has also finished laying roadside railings and sidewalls in vulnerable locations, particularly where there is a risk of shooting stones from hillocks, aiming to enhance pilgrim safety. Drainage work on the tracks has also been completed to ensure better rainwater management, according to Lt. Gen. Srinivasan.
Lt. Gen. Srinivasan also mentioned recent achievements such as the inauguration of the 13,000-feet-high Sela Tunnel in Arunachal Pradesh in March and the nearing completion of the over four-km-long Shinku La tunnel along the Nimmu-Padam-Darcha road. Additionally, the BRO has undertaken significant projects such as the Char Dham and Amarnath Yatra trails, the restoration of connectivity in Sikkim after a glacier outburst, and the construction of a substantial portion of the Arunachal Pradesh frontier highway and the Indo-Myanmar border fence.
This year's Amarnath Yatra to commence on June 29
This year's holy Amarnath Yatra will start on June 29 and culminate on August 19 on the auspicious occasion of Raksha Bandhan. As the Yatra will commence on June 29, advance registrations were started on April 15, and over two lakh devotees have already registered for the Yatra.
After the Lok Sabha elections, the administration's focus will shift to the Amarnath Yatra. The 52-day pilgrimage to the 3,880-meter-high cave shrine in south Kashmir will kick off from two routes- the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the shorter but steeper 14-km Baltal route in Ganderbal district.
Online registration is also available on the official website of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board For Indian pilgrims, the registration fee is Rs 220, while for NRI and international travellers, it is Rs 1510 per pilgrim. Pilgrims must provide their medical certificate, Aadhar card, photographs, and blood group information for registration. Medical checkups are mandatory.
Two designated routes for permits are Baltal and Pahalgam, each with a fixed quota of 10,000 pilgrims. Online registration offers 3500 seats per route per day. Helicopter bookings for the Amarnath Yatra will begin on May 15, 2024, just a month after the registration process starts.
