Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik presided over a high level security meeting regarding the safety and security of Amarnath pilgrims ahead of 1 July, when the annual pilgrimage will start. The yatra concludes on 15 August, the day of Rakhsha Bandan. The Governor was informed by the top brass of the security establishment that they had kept up pressure on the terrorists in South Kashmir and had completed “area domination” of the entire stretch of the yatra, which passes through the trouble-torn South Kashmir.
More than 3,000 companies of paramilitary forces have been told not to move out of Kashmir valley after they were deployed for the recently held Lok Sabha elections. The security apparatus says that it has been able to sanitise most of the vulnerable areas along the yatra route, especially after the suicide attack on the CRPF in South Kashmir’s Pulwama in February this year.
Highly placed official sources said that Army and paramilitary forces have created joint teams that will be deployed as road opening parties to secure the routes for the pilgrims. Sources also said that apart from paramilitary forces, special commandos of the Army and soldiers from ITBP have also been deployed for this purpose.
Already, the Governor’s administration has decided to issue a “barcode” enabled authorisation slip to the pilgrims to keep track of them especially since they have to travel through South Kashmir. The CRPF has been assigned the task of securing the pilgrimage route especially from the Pahalgam side. A senior police officer said that they have decided to deploy an enhanced number of upgraded electro-magnetic chips on all yatra vehicles to ensure their security.
Recently, Governor Satya Pal Malik inaugurated the pilot project for the “barcoded” yatra slips. According to Amarnath Shrine Board officials, these slips will help them keep a tab on how many pilgrims are on the move at one particular point of time and will help ensure proper surveillance.
Central and state authorities are in a state of heightened alert for the smooth conduct of the yatra, as in 2017, eight pilgrims were killed while several others were injured when terrorists attacked their bus in South Kashmir.