Amid swelling rush around registration centres and token distribution counters in the winter capital city, the third batch of 4812 Amarnath pilgrims left from Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu for Pahalgam and Baltal route in 259 vehicles in heavy security on Saturday.
“3434 males, 966 females, 11 children, 244 Sadhus and 157 Sadhvis embarked on Yatra this morning. Out of them, 2771 left for Pahalgam axis at 3.24 am while 2041 pilgrims chose Baltal axis to undertake Yatra to the holy shrine nestled in south Kashmir Himalaya. Convoy destined for Baltal left Yatri Niwas at 3 am,” officials informed.
A day after the J&K administration issued a caution note and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi also appealed to the intending pilgrims for patience and strict adherence to rules and regulations, advisories, the impact was visible on the registration centres and the token distribution counters.
The number was spiralling up yet the order was being maintained. Officials stated that because of adequate arrangements made, the swelling rush was manageable and the registration process went on smoothly.
On Saturday, the Lieutenant Governor also requested the pilgrims to adhere to the registration schedule and unregistered (intending) pilgrims to wait patiently.
Earlier on Friday evening, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police, Jammu-Samba-Kathua (JSK) range, Shridhar Patil visited several locations, where Shri Amarnath Yatra pilgrims awaiting their turn to proceed towards the holy cave shrine, were accommodated.
Interacting with the pilgrims, the DIG-P praised people for their cooperation and appealed to devotees to remain patient while waiting for their turn. He assured them that the administration and security agencies were fully committed to facilitate the pilgrimage in a safe and orderly manner. He also urged the utilise 112 helpline services.
“We assure you that we are trying our best to make every pilgrim get an opportunity to undertake the yatra and pay obeisance at the holy cave shrine. We request all devotees to cooperate with the authorities and maintain patience. With your support, we will ensure that every pilgrim reaches the holy cave safely,” Patil said, while addressing the pilgrims.
His visit was aimed at reviewing the arrangements for the pilgrims and boosting their confidence as authorities continued to manage the movement of yatris in accordance with the prescribed daily limits and security protocols.
