Ganderbal, April 08: With the Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra (SANJY) 2025 approaching, Deputy Commissioner Ganderbal, Jatin Kishore, Tuesday chaired a high-level review meeting to assess the district’s preparedness, particularly along the Baltal route.
Senior officials from various departments took part in detailed deliberations on the provision of key services, including water and electricity supply, healthcare facilities, sanitation, drainage systems, registration and verification of service providers. Availability of firewood and overall security arrangements also featured prominently.
Emphasising the importance of seamless inter-departmental coordination, the DC directed all departments to accelerate developmental works and submit updated status reports. The Beacon authorities were instructed to commence snow clearance on the Yatra track to ensure smooth movement and to enable other departments to begin operations en-route to the Holy Cave.
The Executive Engineer of KPDCL was tasked with completing underground cabling up to the cave and ensuring illumination of all key locations. Similarly, the R&B Department was directed to execute all approved projects, including fencing of pony stands, extension of excess gates, and expansion of the pony track. Mobile service providers were urged to guarantee uninterrupted connectivity up to the Holy Cave, with increased network capacity to handle the anticipated surge in demand.
DC Kishore also stressed the need for enhanced sanitation facilities, proper drainage systems, and 24×7 availability of power and drinking water at the Baltal base camp and other halting points.
Among those present were SSP Ganderbal Raghav S, Additional Deputy Commissioner Syed Fahim Bihaqi, SDM Kangan, ACD Ganderbal, and Executive Engineers from Jal Shakti, KPDCL, and I&FC departments. In a separate meeting, the DC also reviewed security arrangements for the Yatra with representatives from SSB, 24 RR, 13 RR, 115 BN CRPF, and 118 BN CRPF. The security agencies briefed the DC on deployment strategies from Shalteng to Baltal. The SSP was directed to finalise deployment locations in close coordination with all security forces, particularly for transit camps and sensitive points along the route. Preparations are being closely monitored to ensure that the 2025 Yatra is safe, well-organised and spiritually fulfilling for all devotees.
