New Delhi: Amarnath Yatra is commencing on June 29 and the biggest concern for the Government of Jammu and Kashmir is its security. Following the recent attacks in Jammu, a three-tier security arrangement has been put in place by Jammu and Kashmir Police along with other security agencies to secure both the highway and the routes leading to the Amarnath Cave. 

After the recent multiple attacks in the Jammu region, security has been on high alert across the Union Territory. Several security review meetings have been held in Jammu and Kashmir in preparation for the 52-day pilgrimage to the Amarnath Cave, located at an altitude of 3880 meters. The Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha, also visited both Baltal and Nunwan base camps to assess the ground situation.

Administration, SASB, Police, Security forces and other stakeholder departments are closely coordinating with each other for enhanced security and Yatra management.

Jammu and Kashmir Police’s Inspector General VK Birdi also held a security meeting regarding the upcoming Amarnath Yatra. During the meeting, the IGP briefed the top officials of Jammu and Kashmir Police regarding the security arrangements and ensuring the smooth conduct of the Amarnath Yatra. He directed them to conduct mock drills in all Yatri camps along the route from Jammu to the holy cave. Quick action teams of all security agencies are kept on alert at all sensitive places and camps to handle any unforeseen incidents. 

A mock drill was conducted at Nunwan Base camp, where two motorcycle-borne terrorists simulated an entry into the camp and an alert was sounded by camp security QRT ( quick reaction team ) within no time cordoned the camp and foiled the terror attack. 

Inspector General of Police Kashmir Zone V.K Birdi said “The annual yatra of 2024is set to commence in a few days. We have made foolproof security arrangements across Kashmir Valley we have put multi-tier arrangements so that pilgrims will have smooth and secure yatra not only on highways but also on interiors.”

This will help the government to regulate the Yatra smoothly. The Hi-tech Command Control Centre will operate with approximately 60 personnel from about 20 government departments working day and night. The departments working in the Hi-tech Command Control Centre include Jammu and Kashmir Police, CRPF, NDRF, SDRF, Health, PHE, PDD, Telecom and many others. 

Over 17 PTZ high-definition 360-degree view cameras were placed all through the routes from base camps to the cave. Additionally, dozens of static cameras have been strategically positioned at key locations from both Baltal and Chandanwari base camps.

The first batch of Yatris will depart from the Jammu camp on June 28.

All registered Yatris participating in the pilgrimage will be equipped with RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags. This is to make sure that all the Pilgrims are tagged, allowing authorities to track their exact locations throughout the journey.