JAMMU, May 29: As many as 581 companies of paramilitary forces will be deployed for security of Shri Amarnath Ji pilgrimage which will take place from July 3-August 9 to ensure smooth conduct of annual yatra in South Kashmir Himalayas which attract people from all over the country.
The deployment will be in place by second week of June to give enough time to the troops for security of the pilgrims right from Lakhanpur, the entry gate of Jammu and Kashmir to twin base camps of Nunwan (Pahalgam) in Anantnag district and Baltal in Ganderbal district of Kashmir.
Nearly 150 companies of Central Armed Police Forces are already present in Jammu and Kashmir and the rest will be sent from different parts of the country, official sources told the Excelsior saying the process to depute additional companies will start immediately to ensure that by June 15, all requisite security arrangements are in place well ahead of start of the pilgrimage which will last 38 days this year.
The paramilitary companies which are being deployed for Shri Amarnath Ji yatra security will be drawn from CRPF, BSF, ITBP, SSB and CISF. Every company has an operational strength of about 70 to 75 personnel.
The maximum units out of the 581 are drawn from the Central Reserve Police Force (219 companies), Border Security Force (143), Sashastra Seema Bal (97), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (62) and Central Industrial Security Force (60), the sources said.
They added that nearly 80 companies of paramilitary forces were deployed in Jammu and Kashmir during Operation Sindoor and they too have been retained and will be used for the yatra security.
Sources said the security deployment plan for the pilgrimage is being prepared keeping in mind the challenges emerging from the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack in which 26 persons, mostly tourists, were killed.
There will be heightened security for Shri Amarnath Ji pilgrims this year from both tracks including traditional Pahalgam-Chadanwari-Panchtarni route and shorter but tough Baltal route and the base camps. The National Highways of Pathankot-Jammu and Jammu-Srinagar will be secured by the paramilitary forces along with Jammu and Kashmir Police (JKP).
The cave shrine will also have enhanced security arrangements.
CRPF Director General (DG) Gyanendra Pratap Singh had reviewed the preparations for the Amarnath Yatra over the week when he was in Kashmir.
BSF DG Daljit Singh Chawdhary too is expected to hold a review of border security and the yatra in Srinagar.
The 38-day yatra leads to the 3,880-metre-high holy cave housing a naturally formed holy ice-shivling.
The yatra is conducted via two routes — the traditional 48-km route from Pahalgam in the Anantnag district and the shorter but steeper 14-km Baltal route in the Ganderbal district. The pilgrims can choose any of these routes.
Besides security, other arrangements are also being finalized for Shri Amarnath Ji pilgrimage by Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), civil administration, Health Department and other concerned authorities, the sources said.
