Jammu, May 29: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has approved the deployment of 670 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) for security arrangements during this year’s Shri Amarnath Yatra, scheduled to begin on July 3 and conclude on August 28, officials said on Thursday.
Officials said the deployment would be the highest-ever for the annual pilgrimage and has been planned in coordination with the Jammu and Kashmir administration and senior security agencies.
The CAPF personnel will be deployed along the entire pilgrimage route, from Lakhanpur to the cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas. Security cover will include the Baltal and Pahalgam routes, Baltal and Nunwan base camps, Yatri Niwas Jammu, Jammu-Srinagar National Highway and other key transit points.
Additional paramilitary forces are expected to start arriving in Jammu and Kashmir in the first week of June, while the deployment process is likely to be completed by June 25, officials said.
The Indian Army will secure strategic heights along the yatra routes and areas around the cave shrine, while Jammu and Kashmir Police will coordinate security operations during the pilgrimage.
Officials said the security arrangements have been planned in a way that anti-terror operations across the Union Territory remain unaffected.
Special focus will remain on the Baltal and Chandanwari routes, the cave shrine and major transit camps. Road Opening Parties (ROPs), area domination patrols and surveillance along highways will also be intensified, they said.
Security along the Jammu-Srinagar railway corridor has also been strengthened in view of the expected increase in pilgrims travelling by Vande Bharat trains. Areas including Udhampur, Katra, Reasi, Banihal and Qazigund will remain under heightened vigil during the yatra.
More than 3.5 lakh pilgrims have registered for the pilgrimage since the process began on April 15 through designated bank branches across the country, officials said.
The 57-day pilgrimage will commence simultaneously from the Baltal and Nunwan-Pahalgam routes on July 3 and conclude on August 28 on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan and Sawan Purnima.(KNS).
