J-K: Police, CRPF conduct mock security drill ahead of Amarnath Yatra

Anantnag (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], June 26 : Jammu and Kashmir Police, along with the CRPF, conducted a mock security drill ahead of the start of the Amarnath Yatra in the Pahalgam area on Wednesday.
Amarnath Yatra is an annual significant pilgrimage for Hindus that will commence on June 29 and conclude on August 19 this year.
Meanwhile, District Magistrate Srinagar, Dr Bilal M Bhat, inspected the preparations at the Yatra Base Camp in Srinagar.
While speaking to the media, District Magistrate Srinagar, Dr Bilal M Bhat, said, "A transit camp in Pantha Chowk has been set up to accommodate around 5000 devotees for their comfort during the Amarnath Yatra starting on June 29."
The Amarnath Yatra is going to start on June 29 and preparations are underway in Srinagar regarding the safety and security of pilgrims.
"Our transit camp is here in Pantha Chowk and this time we are making full preparations for it in respect of its capacity and we have made arrangements for almost 5000 devotees here for their comfort," District Magistrate Srinagar said.
"Complete arrangements for water, electricity and langar, everything has been done. From our side, our entire team is here, we have also appointed camp officers here and our entire administration is engaged from every side to make the passengers comfortable," District Magistrate Srinagar added.
Offline registrations have begun for the annual Amarnath Yatra that begins on June 29.
According to Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) South Jammu, Manu Hansa, the offline registrations began on Wednesday and tokens for the same are being given to the pilgrims.
"We have started our offline registrations here at the Saraswati Dham. The registrations are being done based on the Aadhar Cards, after which the pilgrims are being given tokens, after which they have to go to the registration centres," the sub-divisional magistrate said.
The three registration centres for the yatra are located at Vaishnavi Dham, Mahajan Hall and Panchayat Bhavan.
The Yatra involves a challenging trek to the Amarnath cave shrine in Jammu and Kashmir. The yatra attracts hundreds of thousands of devotees each year, making security a critical concern.
Situated in a narrow gorge at the farther end of Lidder Valley, Amarnath Shrine stands at 3,888 m, 46 km from Pahalgam and 14 km from Baltal.
According to information provided by the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board, though the original pilgrimages stipulated that the yatra (journey) be undertaken from Srinagar, the more common practice is to begin the journey at Chandanwari and cover the distance to Amarnath and back in five days. Pahalgam is 96 km from Srinagar.
Amarnath is considered one of the major Hindu Dhamsdhams, and the holy cave is considered the abode of Lord Shiva, who is enshrined in the form of an ice lingam in this cave.