Amarnath Yatra: Pratham pooja to mark beginning of pilgrimage today

Following hiatus of two years, the stage is all set for ‘Pratham Pooja’ to mark the beginning of annual pilgrimage on Tuesday. Moreover, the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) has decided to deploy over 350 sanitation workers while Additional Chief Secretary Home, R K Goyal review arrangements to ensure hassle free experience to devotees.

“To mark the beginning of this year’s annual Amarnath Yatra, a ‘Pratham Pooja’ for the pilgrimage shall be performed on Tuesday morning on the occasion of Jayesth Purnima at the holy cave shrine of Lord Shiva,” an official told.

He added that the Sadhus-Saints and scholars will worship the holy Cave duly by performing Havan and Aarti.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board Niteshwar Kumar along with office bearers of Budha Amarnath Yatri Trust will be present on the occasion.
Three officials of Baba Amarnath and Budha Amarnath Yatri Trust have been invited for the programme.

Among them are Pawan Kohli, Chairman of the Trust, General Secretary Sudarshan Khajuria and Vice President Shakti Dutt Sharma. Sudarshan Khajuria has confirmed the invitation for the pratham puja program in the holy cave of Shri Amarnath on Jyeshtha Purnima.

Aiming to make pilgrimage memorable for devotees, the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) has decided to deploy over 350 sanitation workers.

The yatra is taking place after a gap of two years due to the coronavirus pandemic and a large number of devotees are expected to take part in the yatra which is also the first post abrogation of Article 370 (in August 2019). The focus of the government for the yatra is safety, security, sanitation and inclusiveness, JMC Mayor Chander Mohan Gupta told reporters here.

Flanked by deputy mayor Purnima Sharma and senior officers, including JMC commissioner Rahul Yadav, Gupta said as the civic body was assigned the task to supervise sanitation work across Jammu region – from Lakhanpur to Banihal and also Mughal road, various initiatives were chalked out to achieve the target of Swachh Amarnath yatra’ this year.

We welcome the yatris and request the cooperation of the people of Jammu, especially the NGOs to come forward like yesteryears to ensure nobody faces any difficulty and the pilgrims return with a good impression, he said.

Spelling out various initiatives planned by the JMC, the deputy mayor said a total of 369 sanitation workers will be deployed for waste collection and sweeping, cleaning of toilets, urinal and bathrooms, secondary transportation and wastewater management.

A detailed sanitation plan has been prepared by health wing of JMC, including requirement of disinfectants, tools and tackles, during the yatra, she said, adding waste collection and sanitation activities will be taken care of at all the 27 locations (camps) and 18 langar (community kitchens) halls by the health and transport section of JMC.
Meanwhile, additional Chief Secretary enquired about the status of amenities being put in place for the yatris at lakhanpur, lodgement centres and other identified locations along the national highway across the yatra route.

Goyal also took detailed review of measures being taken up by the concerned officers with regard to drinking water facility, electricity supply, status of toilets and other related utilities.

While reviewing facilities at lodgement centres, Additional Chief Secretary was apprised that 31 lodgement centres have been made operation ready across the district to accommodate the yatris.

Goyal called upon the officers to adopt yatri friendly mechanism for smooth and hassle free conduct of yatra with emphasis on ensuring swift flow of traffic across the route.

He also reviewed medical, security and fire safety arrangements wherein he was apprised that adequate manpower has been deployed at all critical points to facilitate the pilgrims.

Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir administration said pilgrims intending to undertake the Amarnath Yatra will have to furnish their Aadhar card or submit to Aadhar authentication voluntarily.

“In pursuance to Rule 5 of the Aadhar Authentication for Good Governance (Social welfare, innovation, Knowledge) Rules 2020, the Government of Jammu and Kashmir with the prior approval of the Central government hereby notifies that pilgrims desirous of undertaking pilgrimage to the Shri Amarnathji shrine shall furnish proof of possession of Aadhar or undergo Aadhar authentication on voluntary basis from the date of publication of this notification in the official gazette,” a notification issued by the General administration department reads.

The yatra, which has been opened to general public after two years, will commence on June 30 and conclude on August 11.

The yatra was cut short as a precautionary measure in 2019 after the Centre imposed severe restrictions in Jammu and Kashmir following the abrogation of Article 370.

Only ritualistic aspects of the yatra were conducted in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
More than a million devotees are expected to take part in this year’s pilgrimage.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Amarnath yatra remained suspended for the last three years owing mainly to the coronavirus pandemic.

The authorities are expecting record 6 to 8 lakh pilgrims for the upcoming yatra even as the recent spurt in the targeted killings in the Kashmir valley has put the security apparatus on tenterhooks.

The 43-day-long Amarnath yatra to the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine of Lord Shiva located in the upper reaches of Himalayas, is scheduled to start on June 30 from the twin routes – traditional 48-km Nunwan in south Kashmir’s Pahalgam and 14-km shorter Baltal in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal.

The pilgrimage was halted midway in 2019 following the Centre’s move to end J&K’s special constitutional position.

Subsequently, the two waves of pandemic disallowed the authorities to resume the pilgrimage. This year, the government is introducing RFID system for pilgrims to track their movement en-route to ensure their well-being, besides upgrading telecommunication channels to ensure better connectivity for the yatris

Shri Amarnath Shrine Board has given permission to Baba Barfani Langar Organisation. In couple of days the langar establishments will start reaching Jammu and Kashmir.

The organizations will be establishing langers from Baltal and Pahalgamupto the holy cave come many parts of country including Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and other states. Maximum 22 langars are installed at the Baltal and Domel.

Shri Amarnath Shrine Board has given permission to Baba Barfani Langar Organisation. From next week langar establishments will start reaching Jammu and Kashmir. The organizations will be establishing langers from Baltal and Pahalgam upto the holy cave come many parts of country including Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and other states. Maximum 22 langars are installed at the Baltal and Domel.
Couple of days back Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha while reviewing the preparations for the annual pilgrimage of Amarnath stressed that all the work of yatra arrangements should be completed within the set timeline. He also called upon the officials to ensure optimum use of technology to make the yatra safer and more convenient for the pilgrims.