Srinagar: Governor N.N. Vohra, Chairman Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board, accompanied by Umang Narula, CEO of the Shrine Board, visited the Sheshnag Yatra Camp and held discussions with Col Manas Misra, CO of the 8th Madras Bn, Atul Gupta Camp Director, C.K. Sharma, Additional Camp Director, officers of BSF, CRPF, JK Police and other concerned Departments and reviewed the security and other arrangements being made to receive the Yatris at this Camp who would start arriving on 29th June, the day on which the Amarnath Yatra commences. The Governor directed the Camp Director and other functionaries of the Board to particularly ensure effective sanitary arrangements in respect of the functioning of latrines and toilets and, day to day cleaning of the entire Camp, collection and disposal of degradable and non-biodegradable garbage.
Governor took an aerial recce of the Yatra route to observe the repair work which is under way and, thereafter, landed in Pahalgam from where he proceeded, by road, to Chandanwari along with the CEO and Additional CEO Shrine Board, DIG South Kashmir, DIG CRPF, DC and SSP Anantnag and inspected the ongoing work to establish the Control Gate Chandanwari and set up the Langars, shops and other facilities at this place. The Governor directed Sukhpal Singh, Camp Director Chandanwari to very strictly ensure that the Control Gates shall be opened and closed as per the time schedule already settled and that he, along with the Police and Security officials, must see that no person without a valid Yatra Permit was allowed to enter the tracks.
After the visit to Chandanwari the Governor held a meeting at the Yatra Base Camp Nunwan where, along with the officers who had accompanied him to Chandanwari, he held discussions which also involved: SSP Security (Kashmir); SSP Rural; Police Yatra Officer Pahalgam; Commandant 116 Bn CRPF; S.E. R&B; S.E. PDD; CEO Pahalgam Development Authority; Camp Director and Additional Camp Director Nunwan Yatra Camp; Dy Director Fire and Emergency Services; CMO; SDM Pahalgam; Chief Animal Husbandry Officer; ARTO; District Information Officer; Depot Manager JKSRTC; A.D. Tourism; Assistant Labour Commissioner; ADMO (ISM&H), SDE BSNL; DFO; EO Municipal Committee Qazigund; Secretary Municipal Committee Anantnag; Manager JKTDC; EO Municipal Committee Pahalgam; Assistant Director FCS & CA Anantnag; and XEN PMGSY.
In this meeting the Additional CEO Shrine Board, Jitendra Kumar Singh and Dy Commissioner Anantnag, Dr Syed Abid Rasheed Shah, made detailed item-wise presentations on the arrangements already made and those under way for the forthcoming Yatra. Consequent to discussions the Governor: directed the Dy Commissioner and other concerned officers to ensure that Pony-wallas along with their Ponies, Dandi-wallas, Palki-wallas and Pithus were registered and provided with laminated photo identity cards before they entered the Yatra area; directed GM Works, Shrine Board to ensure that all toilets and baths, at every Camp location, are effectively connected with waste disposal systems and round the clock arrangements are made for maintaining cleanliness of the toilet facilities; Deputy Commissioner and CMO Anantnag will ensure that every Medical Camp is equipped with the required medical and para-medical man power, diagnostic equipments, medicines, and oxygen concentrators; CMO would ensure that the required equipments and adequate medicines were stocked at each of the Medical Aid Centres and Emergency Aid Centres along the entire Yatra route and all Medical Centres should be provided with water supply and toilet facilities; and Superintending Engineer PHE Department shall ensure daily testing of water samples at all Yatra Camps.
The Governor also held discussions with CEO Shrine Board, DIG South, DIG CRPF Awantipora, SSP Security (Kashmir), Deputy Commissioner and SSP Anantnag on several matters relating to the security of movements of the pilgrims and of the Service Providers who had already started arriving. He specifically directed DIG, South, to ensure perfect coordination with CRPF and the Traffic Police and secure adequate advance information about all Yatra related vehicular movements from Banihal onwards, towards Pahalgam and Sonamarg.
