SRINAGAR: In a first, devotees wishing to undertake the
Amarnath Yatra
— slated to commence on June 30 — can do so in a single day by flying directly from New Delhi to Srinagar, then Panchtarni and finally to the holy cave shrine. Alternately, once in Srinagar, pilgrims can also travel to Neelgrath and complete the Yatra, Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board CEO Nitishwar Kumar said on Monday.
As many as 11 choppers will ply daily to ferry devotees from Srinagar to the holy cave and back. While returning, pilgrims can take a flight back to Delhi till late midnight from the Srinagar airport, Kumar said. Earlier, helicopter services were operational only for two sectors, but now yatris can avail of the same in four sectors (to and fro) — Srinagar-Neelgrath, Srinagar-Pahalgam, Neelgrath-Panchtarni and Pahalgam-Panchtarni.
The addition of two new sectors from Srinagar will facilitate devotees who wish to complete the pilgrimage on the same day, Kumar said. The one-way tariff is Rs 11,700 from Srinagar to Neelgrath; and Rs 10,800 from Srinagar to Pahalgam, he said, adding that tickets can be booked online.
Three days before the Yatra begins, IGP (Kashmir Range) Vijay Kumar on Monday held a final security review meeting to assess possible threats and counter-measures. GOC Victor Force, IG CRPF, DIGs of BSF, ITBP, CRPF and police besides all districts SSPs and COs of south Kashmir attended the meeting.
The J&K administration has made foolproof healthcare arrangements at 150 hospitals/locations for this year’s Yatra, principal secretary (health and medical education) Manoj Kumar Dwivedi said.
The footfall is expected to be higher than usual this year as the 43-day annual pilgrimage will be taking place after a two-year gap, with strict adherence to Covid-19 protocols. In 2020 and 2021, the Yatra was conducted symbolically with just the mahants taking the holy mace to the
Amarnath shrine
in a chopper because of the pandemic; while in 2019, the pilgrimage was cancelled midway ahead of the nullification of Articles 370 and 35A in August that year.
