Mountaineering experts to help Amarnath pilgrims

In the wake of several accidents on a slippery stretch en route the Amarnath cave shrine, the Jammu and Kashmir governor today deputed an eight-member team of mountaineering experts to assist the movement of pilgrims.

The team from the Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering, Pahalgam was deputed in addition to the 20 state police personnel comprising two mobile rescue teams which have already been deployed to assist the pilgrims between Sheshnag and Poshpathri along the traditional Pahalgam route.

The team was deputed after reports of several accidents on the difficult 5km stretch between Sangam Top and the shrine, which becomes extremely slippery when the snows start melting, chief executive officer of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), RK Goyal said.

Sangam is a point en route to the 3,880m cave shrine where the pilgrims from both the traditional 46km Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and shortest 16km Baltal in Ganderbal district meet.

Governor NN Vohra, who is also the chairman of SASB, reviewed all aspects of the ongoing yatra immediately after his return from New Delhi last evening.

He took stock of the various arrangements made for the pilgrims at the base camps, camp locations en route the shrine besides reviewing the security and other arrangements made to facilitate a smooth pilgrimage.

The annual two-month Amarnath yatra commenced from both the routes on July 1 and so far 1,41,232 pilgrims have paid obeisance at the shrine. PTI AHM AMS DV 07121512 NNNN