SRINAGAR: With the annual Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra set to begin next month, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha will chair a high-level review meeting in Srinagar on Wednesday to assess preparedness for the pilgrimage, while Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to undertake a comprehensive review of security and administrative arrangements in New Delhi on June 12.
Official sources said the Srinagar meeting will be attended by senior officers from the civil administration, Jammu and Kashmir Police, intelligence agencies and the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB). The meeting will review measures being put in place to ensure the smooth and successful conduct of the 57-day pilgrimage.
Officers posted in Kashmir are expected to attend the meeting in person, while those from the Jammu division are likely to participate virtually. Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat, senior intelligence officials, Deputy Commissioners and Senior Superintendents of Police from districts along the pilgrimage routes are expected to take part.
The Lieutenant Governor is likely to review arrangements related to accommodation, transport, healthcare, sanitation, power supply and other facilities for pilgrims. However, security preparedness is expected to remain the primary focus of the meeting.
According to sources, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs has sanctioned the deployment of nearly 670 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) for the Yatra. The phased induction of these personnel has already commenced ahead of the pilgrimage.
Security measures will include extensive sanitisation of base camps, both pilgrimage routes, the Jammu–Srinagar National Highway and other vulnerable locations. CAPFs, in coordination with the Jammu and Kashmir Police and other security agencies, will maintain a multi-layered security grid throughout the Yatra.
Sources said security arrangements across Jammu and Kashmir are being further strengthened to prevent any attempt by militant elements to disrupt the pilgrimage. Additional deployment of forces in upper reaches and other sensitive areas of both divisions is also under consideration.
Following the Srinagar review, Amit Shah will chair a crucial meeting in New Delhi on June 12 to assess the overall security architecture and administrative preparedness for the pilgrimage.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, DGP Nalin Prabhat, Home Secretary Chandraker Bharti, Intelligence Chief Nitish Kumar and other senior Jammu and Kashmir officials are expected to attend. Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, senior Ministry of Home Affairs officials, chiefs of the CRPF, BSF, ITBP and SSB, representatives of the Intelligence Bureau and senior Army officers are also likely to participate.
Authorities are expecting a substantial influx of pilgrims this year amid a significant rise in tourist arrivals to Jammu and Kashmir and an encouraging response to Yatra registrations.
The Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra is scheduled to commence on July 3 and conclude on August 28, coinciding with Shravan Purnima and Raksha Bandhan.
During the Delhi review, the Union Home Minister is expected to undertake a detailed assessment of security and logistical arrangements aimed at ensuring the safe, smooth and successful conduct of the annual pilgrimage.
