Amit Shah reviews security situation in J&K

Srinagar, Jun 23 (PTI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday reviewed the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir ahead of the Amarnath pilgrimage, sources said.

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla and top officials of the intelligence agencies, paramilitary forces, police and the civil administration attended the meeting here.

At the meeting, the home minister took stock of the security situation and was given a detailed briefing, sources said.

Shah was apprised about the situation along the International Border as well as the Line of Control, they said.

He gave necessary directions to the security agencies to ensure a peaceful atmosphere in the Union territory, sources said.

The security review meeting came days ahead of the annual Amarnath pilgrimage.

The 62-day-long annual pilgrimage to the cave shrine of Amarnath, located at a height of 3,880 metres in the south Kashmir Himalayas, will begin on July 1 and continue till August 31.

At a meeting on June 9 in New Delhi, Shah had said the Modi government’s priority was to ensure a comfortable Amarnath pilgrimage.

He had then directed officials to make adequate security arrangements along the entire pilgrimage routes in Jammu and Kashmir.

The pilgrims travel through two routes – Baltal and Pahalgam – in Jammu and Kashmir.

All the pilgrims will be given RFID cards so that their real-time location can be traced and everyone will be given Rs 5 lakh insurance cover. There will be insurance cover of Rs 50,000 for each animal carrying the pilgrims, sources said.

Last year, 3.45 lakh people visited the holy cave and this year, the figure could go up to 5 lakh, they said.

The sources said that to avoid any incident like last year’s flash flood which claimed 16 lives near the shrine, the National Disaster Response Force has started identifying ideal locations for setting up pilgrim camps keeping in mind any possible natural disaster.

Indian Air Force helicopters are expected to be deployed to carry out aerial sorties in the upper reaches of the holy cave to check for glacial events and the formation of lakes that may trigger flash floods downhill.

Last year, such sorties were conducted only after the flash flood occurred in June, but this year, the exercise will be undertaken before the start of the pilgrimage and at continuous intervals during the two-month yatra, the sources said.

The aerial surveys may be conducted by a team with expertise in remote sensing and satellite, hydrology and disaster response.

Once a dangerous water build-up is spotted, contingency measures will be taken along the pilgrimage routes, especially in the areas near the cave shrine, they added.

Recently, a lot of snow has been found along both the routes – Baltal and Pahalgam – leading to the holy cave and therefore the Border Roads Organisation has been given the task to clear the snow by June 15, the sources said.