Srinagar, June 9 (NVI): Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha will chair a high-level meeting in Srinagar on Wednesday to review preparations for the upcoming Shri Amarnath Yatra, official sources said.
The meeting comes ahead of a comprehensive review by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on June 12 to assess security and administrative arrangements for the annual pilgrimage.
Sources said senior officers from the civil administration, Jammu and Kashmir Police, intelligence agencies and the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) will participate in the Srinagar meeting. Officials posted in Kashmir are expected to attend physically, while officers from the Jammu division are likely to join virtually.
Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat, senior intelligence officials, deputy commissioners and senior superintendents of police of districts connected with the pilgrimage routes are expected to attend the meeting.
The review is likely to focus on accommodation, transport, healthcare, sanitation, power supply and other facilities for pilgrims. Security preparedness is also expected to be a key agenda item, sources said.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has sanctioned the deployment of nearly 670 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) for the pilgrimage, with induction of personnel already underway in phases, they said.
Security measures include sanitisation of base camps, pilgrimage routes, the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway and other vulnerable locations. CAPFs, along with the Jammu and Kashmir Police and other agencies, will maintain a multi-layered security grid during the yatra.
Additional deployment of security forces in sensitive areas and upper reaches of Jammu and Kashmir is also being considered as a precautionary measure, sources added.
At the June 12 meeting in New Delhi, Shah is expected to review the overall security architecture and logistical preparations for the pilgrimage.
The meeting is likely to be attended by Lieutenant Governor Sinha, Chief Secretary Dulloo, DGP Prabhat, Home Secretary Chandraker Bharti, Intelligence Chief Nitish Kumar and other senior Jammu and Kashmir officials. Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, heads of the CRPF, BSF, ITBP and SSB, Intelligence Bureau representatives and senior Army officers are also expected to participate.
Authorities are anticipating a large turnout of pilgrims this year amid increased tourist arrivals in Jammu and Kashmir and a positive response to yatra registrations.
The 57-day Shri Amarnath Yatra is scheduled to commence on July 3 and conclude on August 28, coinciding with Shravan Purnima and Raksha Bandhan, officials said.(NVI)
