j-k-gears-up-for-ensuing-amarnath-yatra

With the commencement of the highly anticipated Amarnath annual Yatra on June 29, the J&K UT administration is preparing to welcome a record number of pilgrims for the 52-day journey, culminating on August 19.

 

However, booking and registration began on April 15, allowing devotees from across the country and abroad to prepare for the sacred journey.

 

The UT administration announced on Wednesday that “online helicopter booking for this year’s Amarnath Yatra will begin on June 1”.

 

The Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB), chaired by Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, will soon disclose the rates for the helicopter service to and from the Himalayan cave shrine, located at an altitude of 3,888 metres.

 

Additionally, 125 ‘Langars’ or community kitchens will be set up along the two main routes. To facilitate the Yatra, the administration also announced a 48-hour closure of the National Highway connecting Jammu with Srinagar for necessary repairs, ensuring smoother and hassle-free access to the Amarnath Shrine.

 

Pilgrims can choose between the shorter route from the Baltal base camp in north Kashmir’s Ganderbal district or the longer, traditional route from the Pahalgam base camp in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.

 

However, to visit the shrine, “No pilgrim less than 13 years of age or more than 70 years of age, and no lady with more than six weeks of pregnancy shall be registered for the Yatra,” reads an official statement.

 

For Yatra 2024, advance registration through designated bank branches shall be done through biometric e-KYC authentication on a real-time basis. Registration shall be done on a first-come, first-serve basis.

 

The list of designated bank branches, along with the format of CHC and the list of doctors and medical institutions authorised to issue CHC, is available on SASB’s website.

 

The fee for registration through designated banks for Yatra 2024 is Rs 150 per person. The registered Yatri must collect an RFID card from any of the centres established at various locations in the Jammu and Kashmir Divisions before embarking on Yatra.

 

No Yatri shall be allowed to cross the access control gate at Domail or Chandanwari without a valid RFID card.