Srinagar, June 30: In furtherance of the decision to undertake regular monitoring and review of all Yatra related matters, N. N. Vohra, Governor, who is Chairman of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board, chaired a meeting late yesterday evening to review the first five days of the Yatra. Navin K. Choudhary, Chief Executive Officer, SASB, Preet Pal Singh, Additional CEO, SASB, and other concerned officers were present in the meeting.
 Consequent to the deliberations in the meeting, the Governor asked the CEO, Navin K. Choudhary, to visit the Nunwan Base Camp to check the Yatri movement to the Chandanwari Control-cum-Security Gate and, thereafter, to check whether the arrangements and facilities for the Yatris were satisfactory. The CEO was also asked to particularly review the movement of the pilgrims, particularly keeping in view the obtaining weather conditions in the Yatra area and ensure that all those crossing the Control Gates were duly registered pilgrims.
 The review meeting noted that more than one lakh pilgrims had paid obeisance at the Holy Cave. Disclosing this, the CEO informed that a total of 1,01,404 Yatris had Darshan of Ice Lingam at the Holy Cave by the close of Darshan on 29th June evening.
 The CEO informed that as per the policy of the Board every possible effort is being made by Civil and Police officers on duty to see that no unregistered Yatri is allowed to proceed towards the Holy Cave. The CEO yet again appealed to the Yatris not to embark on the Yatra without securing a valid Registration as this may cause inconvenience not only to themselves but also to the other Yatris, besides creating an avoidable strain on the smooth management of the Yatra. For the benefit of tourists, daily arriving in the State, the Shrine Board has set up Spot Registration Counters at Vaishnavi Dham, Jammu; Yatri Niwas, Jammu; TRC, Jammu; TRC Srinagar; and close by to the Nunwan and Baltal Base Camps. The CEO reiterated that any person wishing to undertake Yatra shall have to furnish Compulsory Health Certificate for securing a Spot Registration permit.
 The CEO informed that the Yatra has so far been running smoothly, and all essential arrangements - power supply, water supply, sanitation etc. – have been working well. An adequate number of Langars have been set up by the Voluntary Organizations for the convenience of the Yatris and helicopter services have been operating smoothly both from Pahalgam and Baltal to Panjtarni, except on the first day when the services had to be discontinued for about three hours due to bad weather conditions. The District Administration has been asked to keep a close watch on the Tentwallas, Ponywallas and Palkiwallas to prevent any over-charging from the Yatris.
 While expressing sadness over the unfortunate deaths of 13 persons in the past 5 days, the CEO yet again urged the pilgrims to take adequate precautions while embarking on the pilgrimage. He cautioned the Yatris to follow the Health Advisories issued by the Shrine Board, in their own interest. He also advised the Yatris to immediately contact the nearest Medical Camps, in case they felt uneasy, to obtain timely medical attention. For this purpose, a large number of Doctors and Medical Staff have been posted in the Yatra area, equipped with more than 1000 Oxygen Cylinders, for the benefit of the Yatris.

Lastupdate on : Sat, 30 Jun 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 30 Jun 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 1 Jul 2012 00:00:00 IST