Jammu, Jul 1: The surroundings have turned devotional in the ‘City of Temples’ with the chants of ‘Bam Bam Bhole’ in the air as the first batch of Shri Amarnath Yatra will be flagged off on Wednesday here from Bhagwati Nagar-Yatri Niwas base camp.
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha will flag off the first batch.
Devotees comprising ‘sadhus’ have arrived at the Yatri Niwas and other centres for the yatra leaving from here tomorrow.
Chanting ‘Bam Bam Bhole’ and ‘Har Har Mahadev’, a rush of pilgrims arrived here to join the first batch amid tight security arrangements.
The pilgrims after proceedings for the holy cave in Anantnag district of South Kashmir Himalayas will pay obeisance at the naturally formed ice Lingam.
“We are happy with the start of the yatra. I had got my registration done online and reached Jammu last evening,” said a devotee.
Lauding the Jammu and Kashmir administration and the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board for the adequate arrangements made, he said, “very good arrangements are made by the administration for the pilgrims whether it is registration counter, langar (community kitchen), transport or security, everything is commendable.”
Authorities have also opened the token distribution centre at Saraswati Dham for pilgrims undertaking the Yatra by registering themselves through offline mode.
“The registration after getting the token can be completed at the centres at Vaishnavi Dham, Panchayat Bhawan and Mahajan Sabha opens at 7 am,” said an official.
He also revealed that per day only 2,000 registrations are to be done, adding, “the counters will close after the quota is exhausted.”
Jammu Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar had recently said that Amarnath Yatra would not be allowed through railways and 60 RFID centres are also established at five prominent districts in the Jammu region.
“Yatra will not be allowed through the railways. It will be allowed only via road under proper regulation by the administration and security forces,” Kumar had said.
He said that elaborate arrangements have been put in place in Bhagwati Nagar Yatra camp, where yatris would arrive before leaving in convoys for Baltal and Pahalgam Yatra base camps.
“A total of 141 lodgment centres have been established in Jammu Division with adequate civic amenities and security arrangements, while 52 langars and 60 RFID centres will function in Jammu, Kathua, Samba, Udhampur and Ramban Districts and five Registration centres with a token centre at Saraswati Dham are being made functional in Jammu,” he added.
The IGP Jammu also appealed to the people to adhere to the dos and don’ts and public advisories being issued by the administration.
The general public can avail live information pertaining to the holy yatra from the dedicated control rooms, he said.
The authorities said foolproof security arrangements are made for the smooth conduct of the Yatra.
The Lakhanpur corridor in Kathua district — the first entry point to Jammu and Kashmir for pilgrims arriving via road — has also been transformed into a well-equipped, multi-utility facilitation centre by the administration.
A 24×7 Information Help Desk has been made operational to respond to yatris’ queries and assist them throughout their stay.
The traffic department has also issued advisory for the commercial and private vehicles plying on the highways and city roads at the time of movement of yatra convoys.
The locals in Jammu, however, have expressed happiness over the start of the yatra saying that they are ready to welcome the devotees from all over the country.
