Deputy Commissioner (DC) Srinagar, Akshay Labroo and Commissioner Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC), Faz Lul Haseeb Friday visited Yatra Transit Camp at Pantha Chowk to review the onsite arrangements being put in place for the smooth and seamless conduct of the upcoming Annual Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra (SANJY)-2026.
The visit was aimed to ensure seamless arrangements and better facilities for devotees traveling to the Shri Amarnathji cave during the annual pilgrimage, halting at the Transit camp, Panthachowk. During the visit the Deputy Commissioner was accompanied by SSP Security, Kashmir, Sajad Khaliq, Additional Deputy Commissioner Aadil Fareed, IAS Probationer, Alfred Thomas, SP Headquarter, Umar Shah, Deputy Commandant (IR), K.Sahu, Joint Commissioner SMC, Syed Abu Qasim, SDPO Panthachowk Zohaib Ahmad, Superintending Engineer Hydraulic, Er. Anbreen Anjum, Superintending Engineer KPDCL, Syed Ahmad Wani, SDM East, Zuber Ahmad, DySP Traffic Suhail Ahmad, Tehsildar Pantha Chowk, Muzamil Zamaan and senior Officers of District Administration, Police, SMC, Information, Fire & Emergency, Health, RTO, Traffic and other line Departments accompanied the.
During the visit, the DC and SMC Commissioner carried out an inspection of the Yatri Facilitation Centre and took stock of its readiness to manage and facilitate pilgrim-related services. They reviewed the facilities and infrastructure being established at the Transit Camp regarding KYC/RFID registration, accommodation, sanitation, drinking water supply, power availability, healthcare facilities, security, traffic management and other essential services.
On the occasion, the duo also inspected the readiness of Yatri Facilitation Center, which will handle critical services such as e-KYC verification, RFID card distribution and registration process to streamline the pilgrimage process, thereby ensuring streamlined movement, better crowd management and an efficient pilgrimage experience for the Yatris.
They also held detailed interactions with Officers from various line Departments and comprehensively reviewed the preparedness measures undertaken to ensure a smooth, efficient and hassle-free experience for the pilgrims. They assessed the overall coordination mechanism, operational readiness and service delivery framework being put in place for the upcoming Yatra.
Emphasizing pilgrim comfort and convenience, the Officers stressed the need for close coordination among all Departments to ensure timely completion of works and augmentation of essential services at the Transit Camp. They laid special focus on maintaining sanitation standards, ensuring availability of clean drinking water, uninterrupted power supply and other civic amenities, besides strengthening facilities at Langars (community kitchens) to provide wholesome meals to the pilgrims.
During the visit, the DC was informed that a sufficient number of bathrooms, urinals and mobile toilets have been established at the Transit Camp for the convenience of the Yatris. He was also apprised that, besides a dedicated water supply to the camp, standby water storage tanks with a cumulative capacity of 80,000 litres have been installed to cater to the needs of the visiting pilgrims at the halt camp.
On the occasion, the DC directed all line Departments to ensure that all arrangements and facilities are completed in a time bound manner to facilitate the smooth conduct of this year’s Annual Yatra.