CRPF establishes help desks for Amarnath pilgrims in Jammu

As part of its 'Madadgaar' initiative, the CRPF established two help desks here Sunday to assist pilgrims intending to pay obeisance at the cave shrine of Amarnath in the south Kashmir Himalayas, officials said.

The first batch of 2,234 pilgrims Sunday left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp here for Kashmir for the pilgrimage, which is officially starting on the twin routes of Pahalgam in Anantnag district and Baltal in Ganderbal district on Monday. The shrine is located at an altitude of 3,880 metres.

The help desks were established at the Jammu Tawi Railway station and the Jammu airport to provide all kind of guidance or help to the pilgrims reaching here from various parts of the country, a CRPF spokesman said.

He said information pertaining to the yatra, ranging from stay arrangements to medical aides and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags, would be provided to the pilgrims.

As a special security measure, RFID tags are being fixed on yatri vehicles to monitor their movement.

The spokesman said the CRPF has also established RFID tagging centres at various places in Jammu region, including Lakhanpur border Punjab, Jammu bus stand, Yatri base camp Bhagwati Nagar, Ban toll plaza, Roun village Udhampur and Nashri tunnel.

While issuing necessary guidance related to security, the CRPF is expecting co-operation from the yatris, he said, adding that pamphlets containing these guidelines are also being distributed.