Indian Army’s Northern Army commander inspects the ongoing preparation for Amarnath Yatra

Indian Army’s Northern Army Commander, Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi, carried out a review of the ongoing preparations for Amarnath Yatra 2023, which will commence on July 1for a duration of two months. The Yatra takes place annually via two routes i.e. Southern route through Baltal in Ganderbal and the Northern Route through Pahalgam in Anantnag district.

The Army Commander inspected the arrangements on both routes, where he was briefed on the multi-tiered security arrangements to include night domination through night vision devices, snipers, drone systems, bomb disposal squads, dog squads, counter IED equipment, vehicle repair and recovery teams to ensure smooth movement of convoys and synergy with civil agencies being undertaken to make the Yatra incident free. He was also shown the arrangements made by Border Roads Organisation (BRO), Indian Air Force and Teams from High Altitude Warfare School.

According to the Indian army, “The road stretch to Holy Cave Shrine is almost clear for the induction of pilgrims. In coordination with Civil administration, NGOs and other agencies, Army is establishing multiple medical detachments with special arrangements of oxygen cylinders and control rooms at various points along both routes for humanitarian aid that will be operational round the clock.”

It also added, “Various civil aviation agencies have been incorporated for providing air travel facilities to the devotees. The Army has established helipads at multiple locations for medical emergencies and to cater for other airlift requirements. Army has also established a number of Yatri camps with adequate tentage facilities along with special winter clothing arrangements to provide habitat and comfort during the Holy Yatra.”

Based on the experiences of the cloud burst during the Amarnath Yatra 2022, civil rescue teams and avalanche rescue teams have to be deployed en route systematically to mitigate any kind of disaster. Earth movers will also be placed at the Holy Cave and multiple locations en route for emergencies. A seamless communication network on both routes has also been operationalised. Special Frontier Force (SFF) detachments will also be overlooking the security of the people.

An “All Inclusive Approach” has been followed to synergize the efforts with all civil agencies including joint training, joint operation, joint exercises and mock drills being conducted to ensure seamless and successful conduct of the Yatra this year.

The Northern Army commander appreciated the good work of all agencies and the synergy between them. He complimented them for their proactive action and exhorted them to meet future challenges.

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