Amarnath Yatra authorities take precautionary measures

The upcoming Amarnath Yatra is slated to start from 1 July and arrangements are being finalized from the micro level of Divisional Administration of Kashmir up to the macro level of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
The Union Home Ministry has held a series of security meetings regarding the Amarnath Yatra and security arrangements are being finalized. There have been media reports that the government has intelligence inputs about a possible attack during the Amarnath Yatra.
Apart from security arrangements, the central government is very keen to avoid any natural disaster like flash floods in the upper reaches of Amarnath cave during the yatra.
In the previous year during the Amarnath Yatra, 16 devotees were killed in flash floods triggered by heavy rains near the Amarnath shrine. Senior officers who are privy to the arrangements said that the NDRF has been asked to identify locations for the Yatri camps to be installed near the Amarnath Shrine so that they are safe from rains and flash floods.
The Union Home Ministry has asked the NDRF to take aerial sorties around the Amarnath shrine along with experts and scientists so that there are no mishaps triggered by flash floods downhill. Helicopters from the UT administration and Indian Air Force will periodically undertake aerial sorties around the holy cave of Amarnath so that the glacier melts, if the artificial lakes are taken care of so that the devotees are safe.
Amarnath Yatra would be held for two months from the twin routes of Baltal in Sonmarg and Nunwan in Pahalgam in South Kashmir. While during the previous year, 3.45 lakh devotees visited the holy cave of Amarnath, local authorities are expecting about 5 lakh devotees this year.
Recently, the central government after a review meeting has directed the Border Roads Organization (BRO) to clear the twin tracks of Sonmarg and Pahalgam of heavy snow, as during the current year, there have been a lot of frequent snowfalls in the upper reaches of the cave.
A senior officer of the J&K administration said that the Border Roads Organization (BRO) has already started the work to clear the tracks from snow by 15 June; they have assured that the twin tracks would be ready for devotees.
Meanwhile, Divisional Commissioner (Div Com) Kashmir, Vijay Kumar Bidhuri recently held a review meeting regarding the preparations for the annual Amarnath Yatra and asked the officers to demarcate the area at the Base camps at the holy cave for mobile connectivity.
He directed Deputy Commissioners of Anantang and Ganderbal, Directors of Animal Husbandry, Kashmir & Jammu, Deputy Labour Commissioner, J&K; Additional CEO, SASB; Officers of Pahalgam Development Authority, Sonamarg Development Authority and Director, G.Max IT Services to personally monitor the preparations for the Amarnath Yatra so that the devotees have a hassle-free sojourn here.