Jammu, June 21: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) J&K Executive Member Raman Suri on Wednesday said the deployment of women battalions around the holy cave of Amarnathji and other locations besides the deployment of Indian Air Force (IAF) for keeping a check on glaciers are indeed great steps that will go a long way in ensuring safe and smooth pilgrimage this year.
Suri in a statement issued here expressed confidence and happiness over the elaborate arrangements put in place by the Union Government as well as the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha’s administration besides devotees across the northern region.
“Never have such elaborate and detailed arrangements been made before wherein women cops will be facilitating devotees and helping the women en route yatra, at camps and at the cave shrine,” he said. “Similarly, alertness on the part of IAF personnel who have been assigned the task of monitoring glaciers, lake formations or any other nature-related fury with regard to weather, will help other departments coordinate and evacuate devotees at safer places well in advance if the need arises. This step has strengthened the safety measures.”
The BJP leader said the 85 reserved battalions of security agencies have been deployed which means that every inch of the Yatra route will be under surveillance. The use of drones and CCTVs everywhere will also help keep a check on anti-social and anti-national elements who try to disrupt the yatra or create any sort of unrest, he said.
He lauded the efforts of Central Reserved Police Force (CRPF) personnel who escort pilgrims to their base camps and also manage other activities including the safety of the entire route which they scan before allowing vehicular movements. “Both Nunwan and Baltal routes will be scanned for the safe conduct of the yatra. The use of IAF helicopters will also help in evacuation of sick or injured yatris, if ever needed, during the yatra,” he added.
Raman Suri while welcoming the pilgrims from across the world to Jammu and Kashmir said that the yatra to Shri Amarnath Ji Cave shrine is getting safer and more comfortable with each passing year.
“The Union Government, after the abrogation of Article 370, has initiated several activities to facilitate the pilgrims. Creating Yatri Niwas, installing weather monitoring equipment besides deploying the required number of forces to foil any nefarious design of terrorists are some of the measures that are going to instill confidence in the pilgrims, who must visit in large numbers and pay their obeisance at the cave shrine,” he said.
