WAIT ENDS

With the registration of Shri Amarnathji Yatra beginning on April 11, 2022, the long wait of devotees ended with hope and excitement as after three years the Yatra is going to be organized without any hitch or hassle. In 2019, it was abrogation of Articles 35A and 370 which disrupted the Yatra midway and then came the merciless coronavirus which forced the closure of the Yatra for two long years as devotees were restless to pay obeisance at the most revered cave shrine of Lord Shiva in Himalayas in Kashmir. Those intended to go for the Yatra this year are so excited that they are planning to go for registration on the very first day viz April 11, when the registration process will begin for about three lakh pilgrims who are likely to have Darshan this year. It is pertinent to mention that the pilgrimage to the Himalayan Shrine of Amarnath will commence on June 30 and conclude on August 11, the Raksha Bandhan Day. Besides in banks, the pilgrims can also register online through the website and mobile app of the Shrine Board. Those banks which are going to provide facility for the registration for Yatra include Jammu and Kashmir Bank, PNB Bank, Yes Bank and 100 branches of SBI across the country. In Ramban, a Yatri Niwas has been made which can accommodate 3000 pilgrims and for the first time it will provide succor to devotees as during peak Yatra time it becomes difficult to handle huge rush at traditional base camps. This time RFID will be given to pilgrims, by which the Shrine Board can track the pilgrims. The insurance coverage period for pony handlers increased to one year. The insurance cover for pilgrims increased from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 5 lakh this year. Hundreds of devotees trek through the Himalayas to Shri Amarnath Shrine in South Kashmir every year to pay obeisance to Lord Shiva believed to be present in the unique form of an ice Lingam. Besides all necessary security arrangements are the responsibility of police and other security agencies which are already doing phenomenally good as far as the security scenario in the entire UT of J&K is concerned. It is therefore time to raise slogans in praise of Lord Shiva as the holy Yatra’s registration started today.

Editorial editorial article 1