Srinagar, July 21: Over 3 lakh Amarnath Yatris performed the darshan at the Amarnath cave shrine during the first three weeks of the yatra.
An official spokesman in a statement issued here said that due to the improvement in infrastructure and allied services by the government, the Amarnath Yatra registered over 3 lakh record breaking number of yatris who visited the Amarnath cave shrine within three weeks, which was comparatively much higher than the previous year numbers during the same time.
He said that with the addition of 13,797 yatris who performed darshans on Friday, the cumulative total stodd at 3,07,354.
The spokesman said that the figures were testimony to the fact that the government had developed physical infrastructure of electricity, health, roads, sanitation and treks besides ensuring transportation services from road transport, helipad service, and pony services.
He said that almost 30 government departments had been looped in to ensure seamless facilities to make the yatris feel at home.
The spokesman said that the enhanced facilities from accommodation, food, water healthcare, and pony service generated positive response from devotees who undertook yatra and encouraged others to embark on Amarnath yatra this year.
He said that to make Amarnath yatra a memorable lifetime experience for the devotees, the potential of available resources were capitalised to the brim, which ensured stress-free and tireless yatra.
“This year, the government made the twin axis of Pahalgam and Baltal to glow with lights from base camps to Amarnath cave shrine, which helped to carry on yatra during the evening hours,” the official spokesman said.
He said that the construction of two state-of-art 100-bedded hospitals for the treatment of yatris and all the associated people was another example of the seriousness shown by the government for boasting allied infrastructure.
The spokesman said that besides other existing health infrastructure, every camp was manned by the expert health teams who on a daily basis examine hundreds of yatris, providing them medicine and advice.
He said that since the influx of the yatris was swelling with every passing day, the government made sure that transportation facilities were provided to the yatris from Jammu to base camps in Kashmir.
The spokesman said that the helipad service was also available to the yatris who were willing to take this opportunity and facility.
He said that to keep a strict vigil on the nitty-gritty of the yatra for smooth and peaceful conduct, the government established Integrated Command and Control Centre, which were integrated with the RFID.
The spokesman said that this data based science helps in effective crowd control management, traceability, avoidance of traffic jams and management besides coordination among all stakeholders on a real-time basis.
The spokesman said that as this yatra surpassed the 3-lakh mark in a short span of time, the government takes pride for serving yatris with every available resource putting them to optimum utilisation.
He said that the organised facilities and management of the yatra overwhelmed the yatris who paid obeisance at the Amarnath cave shrine.
“Every single soul who got the opportunity to pay obeisance at the Amarnath cave shrine expressed gratitude to the administration, security agencies, service providers, and local population who embraced them with open arms. The local people serve the yatris Kashmiri Kehwa and warm water to help them cope up with cold temperatures,” the spokesman said.
He said that the Amarnathji Yatra had become a centre of attraction for the citizens of the nation and also to foreign citizens this year.
Two California, USA citizens, a Ukrainian woman, a group of 35 Nepali citizens, and a group of 30 citizens from Malaysia are among the yatris who paid obeisance at Amarnath cave shrine.
The spokesman said that these foreign religious tourists acknowledged the organised arrangements and facilities created by the government, which made them happy to feel the spiritual essence of the yatra.
He said that the Divisional News Room working under the supervision of Divisional Commissioner Kashmir and the Department of Information and Public Relations were working in tandem to disseminate information about the available facilities and the satisfaction of yatris after experiencing the support from the stakeholders.
