Governor N. N. Vohra, chairman of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board, reviewed the arrangements being made for the Yatra which is scheduled to commence on 28th June
Umang Narula, principal secretary to Governor and chief executive officer of the Shrine Board; Bhupinder Kumar, additional CEO; R. K. Pandita, general manager (Works) SASB and other concerned officers attended the review meeting held today at Raj Bhavan, Srinagar.
Narula informed Governor that till now 1,91,073 Yatris have secured advance registration through the designated branches of Punjab National Bank, JK Bank and YES Bank and, besides, under the Group Registration facility and registration facility for Ex-India pilgrims. This number includes 17,208 Yatris who have obtained helicopter tickets till 12th June, 2018.
Governor reviewed to-date position regarding all issues relating to the restoration of the tracks on both the routes and installation of safety railings at the various identified vulnerable stretches, particularly the Railpathri-Brarimarg-Kali Mata track. The Governor was informed about the logistical facilities being arranged for the Yatra, particularly those relating to power, water supply and medical facilities in the entire Yatra area. It was reported that the Army, CRPF and the State Police formations have started reaching the areas of the upper Yatra Camps.
Narula informed that to augment the existing toilets and baths, 529 new toilets (286 Indian and 243 European) and 100 baths for Yatra 2018 were being installed. During this year’s Yatra, a total of 2750 toilets and 516 baths shall be installed by the Shrine Board in the Yatra Camps and en-route (along with appropriate waste disposal facility) for the convenience of the Yatris. For discouraging the use of plastic bottles in the Yatra area, 52 stainless steel water storage tanks/ water dispensers are being installed in the Yatra Camps and enroute. For easier collection of used water bottles, Shrine Board is installing 80 Bottle Catchers at conspicuous locations along the Yatra route. The plastic bottles are brought down and shredded in Shredding Machines at Base Camps of Nunwan and Baltal.