Srinagar, July 4, KNT: The Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) on Thursday asserted that the annual Amarnath Yatra poses no threat to Kashmir’s fragile environment and ruled out the possibility of an Uttarakhand-like disaster during the pilgrimage.
Addressing a press conference in Srinagar, Chief Executive Officer of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board, Navin Choudhri, said the pilgrimage was being conducted in a scientific and well-regulated manner, with adequate safeguards in place to protect the environment and ensure the safety of pilgrims.
He said the Shrine Board was strictly enforcing the mandatory registration process and had so far prevented around 15,000 unregistered pilgrims from undertaking the yatra.
“We are not allowing anyone, including sadhus, to proceed without valid registration. Pilgrims should complete all formalities before arriving for the yatra,” Choudhri said.
He appealed to the district administration to ensure that no unregistered pilgrim is allowed to proceed towards the holy cave shrine.
According to the CEO, around 80,000 pilgrims had paid obeisance at the holy cave shrine since the commencement of the pilgrimage.
He said approximately 15,000 pilgrims were undertaking the pilgrimage every day, with nearly 7,500 travelling through the traditional Pahalgam route and an equal number using the Baltal route.
Choudhri also informed that two pilgrims had died of natural causes during the ongoing yatra.
Reiterating the Shrine Board’s commitment to environmental protection and pilgrim safety, he said all necessary measures had been put in place to ensure the smooth and secure conduct of the annual pilgrimage. [KNT]
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