Jammu, May 9: The Union Government has approved deployment of additional 74 companies of paramilitary forces for the smooth conduct of upcoming Amarnath Yatra in the state. These companies of security personnel, including CRPF and CISF, would be deployed along the Yatra track from Lakhanpur up to the Holy Cave and at Base Camps where snow clearance operations are going on.
 Sources said that Union Home Ministry has recently approved the proposal of the state government for sanctioning 74 companies of the paramilitary forces for smooth conduct of the annual Amarnath Yatra, in addition to the state police. They further informed that last year, the number of additional companies deployed was 68.
Sources further added that these paramilitary personnel would be deployed in mid June, well before the commencement of Yatra on June 25. “The number of the security personnel can increase during the course of Yatra”, they added.
Pertinently, this number is in  addition  to the state police personnel. Last year, the number of the Central Paramilitary forces and the state police deployed for security of the pilgrims along the traditional Pahalgam route and the shorter Baltal route, besides Bhagwati Nagar Base Camp Jammu was almost same.
IGP Jammu Zone, Dilbagh Singh, while talking to   Greater Kashmir said that in Jammu region up to the Banihal Tunnel, 32-35 companies of Paramilitary forces would be deployed. He informed that as per his information, the paramilitary forces sanctioned for the state include  CRPF, ITBP and Armed Police.
IGP Kashmir Zone SM Sahai said that at present, his department is taking stock of the actual requirement of the security personal required for smooth conduct of the Amarnath Yatra. “As most of the track is snow bound, it will be too early to ascertain the number of required security personal, at least it will be equal to the last year or little more   as per intelligence inputs”, he added. 
Both officers said “Although there are no intelligence inputs to suggest any militant threat to the annual pilgrimage, the government did not want to take any chance as far as the security of the pilgrims is concerned”.
It is pertinent to mention here that barring few incidents at the peak of militancy in late 1990s and early 20s, the Amarnath Yatra has generally been conducted smoothly over the years of turmoil.

Lastupdate on : Wed, 9 May 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 9 May 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 IST