Top police and civil officials from the Union Territory will attend a preliminary meeting organized by the Union Home Ministry this weekend. Union Home Minister Amit Shah will review the yatra arrangements in the middle of this month, and there is a possibility of his visit to Jammu and Kashmir later this month.
While officials assert that the security situation this year is better than the previous year, they emphasize the need for similar arrangements to ensure the security of the pilgrimage.
The Army will play a crucial role in securing the cave shrine in South Kashmir Himalayas and the twin tracks, as well as safeguarding the Jammu-Srinagar and Jammu-Pathankot National Highways.
Most of the additional paramilitary companies consist of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), while others belong to the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), deployed on tracks, and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
The Jammu and Kashmir administration will deploy nearly 200 companies of paramilitary forces from its internal deployment, which has been designated for law and order and anti-militancy operations.
Additionally, the Jammu and Kashmir Police (JKP) and JKAP will be deployed for yatra duty.Last year, the pilgrimage lasted for 44 days, with 3.65 lakh yatris from across the country performing darshan of the holy Ice Lingam of Lord Shiva at the cave shrine. This year, the number of pilgrims is expected to increase.
The pilgrimage was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with only the ‘Chhari Mubarak’ (holy mace of Lord Shiva) taken for darshan while other rituals were performed. In 2019, the yatra was shortened by about a fortnight due to the decisions made by the Central Government on August 5. (CNS)
