A high-level meeting was held under the leadership of Union Home Minister Amit Shah to review preparations related to the Amarnath pilgrimage. The Yatra will commence on July 1 and ends on August 31.
The minister directed the officials to ensure that pilgrims have a secure and comfortable darshan. The meeting was attended by Jammu Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, Intelligence Bureau Director Arvind Kumar, and chief secretary of the state, Shah said that it is the priority of the government to ensure all security and other facilities for the pilgrims. He instructed to ensure the oxygen cylinders and the refill facilities and to appoint more doctors.
In the meeting, Shah directed the officials to operate night flights from Srinagar to Jammu for the convenience of pilgrims. As part of heightening the security and safety, the minister instructed to provide all the pilgrims with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags. Earlier, the RFID tags were provided to vehicles to spot live location. The government also decided to insure everyone with an amount of rupees 5 lakh.
WiFi hotspots and proper lighting will be arranged on the yatra’s travel route. Along with this, online live Darshan, live telecast of the morning and evening aarti at the holy Amarnath Cave and religious and cultural programmes will be organised at the Base Camp.
Though Shah routinely holds meetings to review the security situation in Amarnath, Tuesday’s meetings are significant as there is an apprehension of terror groups attempting to disrupt the Amarnath Yatra, being held after a gap of two years. According to sources, the meeting focused on logistical arrangements for the Yatra which included deliberations on infrastructure, weather, health, transport and telecommunication among other issues.
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