Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha today took part in the Bhoomi Pujan of Yatri Niwas of Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board at Pantha Chowk, Srinagar.The new facility will fulfill a long pending demand of all stakeholders, organizations associated with Yatra, devotees from across the country and abroad. It will be built over 25 Kanal land and once the Yatri Niwas is completed, it would cater to more than 3000 pilgrims.
The Lt Governor observed that the Yatri Niwas being built in Jammu and Srinagar will be developed into vibrant centers of spirituality and knowledge. Spiritual programs will also be organized round the year for the pilgrims and local people.With the aim of making Shri Amarnathji Yatra a memorable and comfortable experience for millions of devotees, the J&K government has initiated construction of Yatri Niwas at Ramban, Jammu and now at Srinagar.
Pertinently, all these facilities will have a common room with places of worship and evening aarti, a library for showcasing the spiritual and cultural heritage of J&K to the visiting pilgrims.It was informed that this year provision of tents and prefab structures is being done on Pahalgam and Baltal Axis which will facilitate accommodation of 57% more pilgrims than earlier Yatra. Comprehensive arrangements have also been made for langar, water, resting spots, washroom, and RFID tracking in 09 districts on all routes of the journey.
Keeping in view the Covid situation, all protocols will be followed and isolation facilities will be built near Panjtarni, Holy Cave and Sheshnag. A 100-bed COVID Care Facility is also being prepared for the pilgrims in Srinagar. Moreover, the number of oxygen booths has been increased from 14 to 26 this year and two 30-bed hospitals are being set up for the pilgrims at Baltal and Chandanwari.
Shri Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, Advisor to Lt Governor; Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta, Chief Secretary; Shri R K Goyal, Additional Chief Secretary, Home Department; Shri Nitishwar Kumar, Principal Secretary to Lt Governor and CEO, SASB; Shri Pandurang K. Pole, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir also took part in the ceremony.Shri KN Rai, member SASB; Shri Rahul Singh, Additional CEO SASB, other senior officers of SASB, Civil and Police administration were present on the occasion.