Jammu (NVI): The registration of pilgrims for Amarnath Yatra is going to commence on April 1, 2021, for both Baltal and Chandanwari routes.
446 designated bank branches of Punjab National Bank (316), Jammu & Kashmir Bank (90) and YES Bank (40) all over the country will be carrying out registrations.
This year, the 56-day long annual pilgrimage to the holy cave shrine of Amarnathji in south Kashmir will begin on June 28 this year, simultaneously along both the Baltal and Chandanwari routes, and will conclude by August 22.
Nitishwar Kumar, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board informed that the step-by-step procedure, application form and state-wise list of bank branches with complete addresses is available at Shrine Board’s website.
“For ensuring against fraudulent health certificates, only such certificates which are issued by doctors / Medical Institutes authorized by the concerned State Government / UT Administrations shall be accepted at the Registered Bank Branches,” Kumar said.
For Yatra 2021, only those health certificates which have been issued after 15th March, 2021 shall be valid. The steps which yatris need to follow in order to register for the Yatra, have been put on the Board’s website www.shriamarnathjishrine.com.
It also contains relevant information on how to reach the Base Camps, fee for yatra registration, tariff for ponies, palanquin and porters.
The CEO further informed that persons under the age of 13 years or above the age of 75 years and ladies who are more than six weeks pregnant would not be allowed to register for this year’s yatra.
He also stated, “The Yatra permits would be different for each day of the week and route, with a different colour coding for each day to facilitate the police personnel deployed at the Access Control Gates at Baltal and Chandanwari to regulate the Yatra for the relevant date and route.”
In this context, he cautioned the intending pilgrims against undertaking this arduous yatra without securing a Yatra Permit and the required Compulsory Health Certificate.
Nitishwar Kumar also stressed that for ensuring effective security arrangements along the difficult tracks, only those yatris who are in possession of a Yatra Permit which is valid for a specified date and route, will be allowed to proceed beyond the Base Camps, and cross the entry gates at Domel and Chandanwari.
However, yatris who propose to travel by helicopter do not require advance registration as their helicopter tickets shall suffice for this purpose. They shall be required to produce the Compulsory Health Certificate (CHC) in the prescribed format issued by an authorized doctor before they are allowed to travel by helicopter.
-CHK
