Shah Chairs Meeting To Review Security Preparedness
New Delhi : Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday chaired a high-level meeting to review security and operational preparations for the upcoming annual Amarnath Yatra, officials said. The yatra is scheduled to begin on July 3.
National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval, Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Director General GP Singh along with other senior security and administrative officials attended the meeting.
The 57-day pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre-high cave temple in the Himalayas requires a massive security deployment, with the Center and Union Territory institutions working in close collaboration.
The agencies combine advanced surveillance technology, intelligence-driven monitoring and multi-agency coordination to ensure a completely safe environment for devotees, officials said.
Pilgrims will traverse the traditional 48-kilometer Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the shorter but steeper 14-kilometer Baltal route in Ganderbal district.
Earlier this week, Lieutenant Governor Sinha reviewed the preparations, directing departments and security agencies to ensure smooth arrangements covering infrastructure, security, healthcare, sanitation, connectivity and pilgrim services.
Jammu and Kashmir Police also used advanced screening and anti-sabotage equipment.
These include portable RCIED jammers, deep search metal detectors, explosive and liquid explosive detectors, non-linear junction detectors (NLJDs), band busters, prodder vehicle search mirrors, optical fiberscopes, multi-type CCTV systems, XBIS, vehicle-mounted XBIS, multi-zone DFMDs (Fixed/multi-zone), HHMDs, metal search detectors and other specialized equipment.
Police have also launched QR-based ‘Pahchan App’ designed to digitally verify workers and vendors operating along the yatra route.
Officials say the system will help prevent unverified individuals from infiltrating the pilgrimage ecosystem while improving accountability and crowd management.
Tenant verification efforts, inspections of accommodation centers and intelligence gathering operations have also been intensified.
CRPF, which played an important role in securing the pilgrimage, carried out comprehensive reviews of operational readiness.
CRPF DG Singh also visited the Valley and assessed the security arrangements along the Baltal route and directed the commanders to take proactive measures.
He reviewed the security and logistics arrangements along the yatra route up to Baltal base camp and emphasized the importance of maintaining a robust security network through close coordination among all stakeholders.
Singh said inter-agency coordination should be strengthened to ensure a safe and incident-free pilgrimage.
