J&K governor reviews Amarnath pilgrimage arrangements

Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra today reviewed the security arrangements for the Amarnath 'yatra' (pilgrimage) at a meeting of senior officers.
"The Governor, who is also the chairman of Shri Amaranth Shrine Board chaired the meeting of officers of state administration, Army, paramilitary forces and intelligence agencies at the Raj Bhavan here," an official spokesman said here.
He said the meeting took stock of the action taken on decisons taken during an earlier meeting and the developments which had taken place later.
The Amarnath yatra will commence on June 29 from both Baltal and Pahalgam routes.
Vohra stressed the need for all concerned agencies to keep a sustained close watch and maintain seamless co- ordination to ensure the security of the forthcoming Yatra.

The meeting undertook an extensive review of all important issues including preparedness for meeting any unforeseen situation, the functioning of the joint control rooms, deployment of rescue teams (MRTs), deployment of well equipped fire fighting teams etc.
The governor directed state DGP S P Vaid to enforce an effective traffic regulation mechanism from the Lakhanpur check post onwards to Chandanwari and Baltal, to keep track of all yatra related vehicular movements, particularly for ensuring the unhindered movement of the registered pilgrims.
He advised the chief secretary and GoC 15 Corps to issue clear directions to the PWD and the BRO, respectively, for ensuring that the road from Jammu to Srinagar, Khanabal to Pahalgam and Srinagar to Baltal is propertly maintained for the smooth movement of the pilgrims.