District Development Commissioner, Jammu exhorts officers to ensure hassle-free Amarnath yatra

Jammu, May 22 - Eying on the forthcoming Shri Amarnath Yatra from Ist week of June, District Development Commissioner, Jammu, Dr. Mandeep K. Bhandari today convened a meeting of senior officers to discuss the arrangements for pilgrims reaching at the base camp at Jammu.

Among others, Director Tourism, Additional Deputy Commissioners, Assistant Commissioner (G), Chief Education Officers, Executive Engineers of PDD, PWD, PHE, other officers from Police, SRTC, JDA, Information, Municipal Corporation and Health departments attended the meeting.

The meeting was apprised that a coordination cell has been constituted in Deputy Commissioner Office that shall remain functional round-the-clock and keep a liaison with other departments responsible for making various arrangements.

Supply of drinking water at all the lodging locations as well as langer sites, regulation of traffic right from Lakhanpur to Jammu and from Railway Station to Yatri Bhawan at Bhagwati Nagar and other identified lodging centres like Gita Bhawan, Aggarwal Sabha, Vinayak Sabha, Ravi Dass temple etc. was also discussed along with plying of additional SRTC and private vehicles from Railway Station to ferry pilgrims to these locations. The fixation of fares of taxies was also discussed to check harassment of visiting pilgrims.

Dr. Bhandari also issued instructions to the concerned officers for developing additional parking sites at Yatri Niwas base camp at Bhagwati Nagar, face lifting road from Jewel Chowk to the base camp, transport and temporary latrines and other sanitation facilities at the identified sites.

The DDC directed Chief Medical Officer, Jammu to deploy sufficient number of health teams at Bhagwati Nagar, Chander Bhaga and other identified locations in addition to one mobile team for all lodging centres.

Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Department shall provide necessary material to the langer organizer at APL rates and issue identity cards to sadhus and other officials on yatra duty. The Police department will ensure the deployment of security persons at all the sensitive areas.

The DDC directed all the departments to put in place all the arrangements well in advance before the onset of yatra on June 5.

Dr. Bhandari also urged upon the social and religious organizations to extend whole-hearted cooperation in making the Amarnath Yatra hassle-free for the pilgrims. He called for raising hoardings and banners welcoming the pilgrims and advertising the lodging sites.

He also asked Tourism authorities to conduct wide publicity of the facilities being extended to the yatries at various centres along with the status of accommodation available at various specified locations by erecting hoardings and publicizing through electronic and print media. He also issued instructions to the department to paste all the yatra related information at the langer sites right from Lakhanpur to the base camp.