J&K admin sets June 20 deadline for completion of works in Amarnath base camp

Jammu, Jun 7 (PTI) The main base camp for the Amarnath pilgrims in Jammu capital city is getting a major facelift with the authorities setting a deadline of June 20 for completion of the works, officials said.

The 52-day pilgrimage to the 3,880-meter-high cave shrine in south Kashmir is scheduled to start on June 29 and conclude on August 19, they said.

The Bhagwati Nagar-based Yatri Niwas serves as the main base camp here for the pilgrims from across the country before they leave for Kashmir to pay obeisance at the 3,880-metre-high holy cave shrine of Amarnath.

Jammu Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar and Jammu Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Anand Jain on Friday visited the base camp to review the preparations.

Reviewing the preparations at a high-level official meeting, Kumar was apprised about the status of the ongoing works, including face-lifting of entry gate, resurfacing of roads, levelling of parking ground, whitewash, renovation of washrooms, repair works of ACs, fans, installation of lights, flood lights, being executed by different departments and other works inside the Yatri Niwas for providing best facilities to the pilgrims, they said.

The work is going on at the base camps with 200 hundred of workers engaged in face-lifting, including repairs and renovations at the camp.

The divisional commissioner asked the officials for completion of renovation, upgradation works by June 20.

He also held discussions on the security arrangements and directions were issued to ensure all the necessary preparations well within the given timeframe.

Over one lakh pilgrims have been registered for undertaking yatra to the shrine of Mata Vaishnodevi in south Kashmir Himalayas.

The journey can be undertaken through two routes — the traditional 48-km route through Pahalgam in south Kashmir’s Anantnag and the 14-km shorter but steep Baltal route in Ganderbal district of central Kashmir.