SRINAGAR: Over 4.14 lakh devotees performed Amarnath yatra from twin routes of Pahalgam in south Kashmir and Batal in central Kashmir this year, said Lt Governor Manoj Sinha at a felicitation ceremony held at Raj Bhawan Auditorium, here on Tuesday.
Last year, 5.1 lakh pilgrims had paid obeisance at the Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas.
“The enthusiasm and devotion of devotees and successful pilgrimage was a befitting reply to the enemy's design of destabilising peace in J&K UT,” the Lieutenant Governor said.
He congratulated people of J&K for making the pilgrimage a rich spiritual experience for devotees.
Sinha felicitated the officers of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), Administration, J&K Police, Army, CAPFs, BRO, service providers, medical professionals, members of Non-Governmental Organisations, and other stakeholders for the successful conduct of Amarnath Yatra this year.
“Amarnath Yatra is a confluence of humanity and faith. Every pilgrim is now a brand ambassador for Jammu Kashmir,” Sinha said.
He asked the officials to analyse and apply the experiences and lessons learned from this year's pilgrimage, and take up the works on priority for a better experience of the pilgrims in future.
This year’s 38-day Amarnath yatra started on July 3. However, the authorities suspended the yatra a week before its scheduled end on August 9 on Raksha Bandhan, citing adverse weather conditions and its impact on the yatra.
Shri Amarnath Barfani Langars Organisation (SABLO), the apex body representing various Bhandara (langar) groups serving free food (langars) to pilgrims during the pilgrimage, had objected to premature suspension of the yatra saying the “arbitrary stoppage amounts to a denial of the fundamental right to worship and is violation of spiritual customs and traditions associated with the yatra”.
Unprecedented security measures were put in place for this year’s Amarnath yatra after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 25 tourists from different states and a local pony wala were killed.
The government had declared all routes to Amarnath cave shrine as “no-fly zones,” banning use of drones and balloons throughout the yatra. No helicopter service has been allowed during this year’s yatra.
This year, comprehensive health arrangements were put in place on both yatra tracks. Two 100-bed hospitals at the base camps, and a dedicated team of 1,222 medical professionals worked around the clock to provide health care services to pilgrims.
Along the Yatra route, over 90 medical facilities provided a combined capacity of 560 clinical beds, and 26 dedicated oxygen booths were also set up. For emergency response, a fleet of 45 ambulances, including 9 equipped for critical care, was deployed.
An official spokesman said for the first time, emergency communication systems were installed at seven key points on the Yatra track, successfully resolving nearly 100 distress calls. Real-time health screening was also arranged for pilgrims.
“There has been a 9% reduction in natural deaths compared to previous years,” he said.
In a major upgrade, he said, most of the tracks on the Baltal and Chandanwari routes leading to the cave have been widened to 12 feet. “Installation of safety hand railings, along with disciplined track inspection, repair, and maintenance has been done for the first time.”
An RFID-based tracking system was introduced for all registered pilgrims and service providers, enabling real-time monitoring of the routes and preventing unauthorised access.
“Pilgrim safety was ensured through continuous, 24x7 monitoring of the yatra route through a live feed system,” the spokesman said, adding that a wireless intranet network has been established for real-time monitoring of the yatra track.
This year, PTZ cameras, static and head-count cameras, and RFID readers were installed on the Yatra track to ensure the safe journey of the pilgrims.