Pilgrims wait in a queue to enter a base camp for the annual Amarnath Yatra.
Credit: PTI Photo
Srinagar: Amid heightened security concerns and fears of possible drone attacks, the Jammu and Kashmir government has declared the entire pilgrimage route of the annual Amarnath Yatra a ‘No Flying Zone’.
The Union Territory’s Home Department, acting on an advisory from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, has prohibited the use of all aerial platforms - including drones, UAVs, and even balloons - along both pilgrimage axes, the traditional Pahalgam route and the shorter Baltal route in the south Kashmir Himalayas, officials said.
The restriction will remain in effect from July 1 to August 10 and is aimed at ensuring “full proof security arrangements, they said.
“This measure is part of the broader security protocol to safeguard pilgrims and support staff against emerging threats, particularly the misuse of drone technology by militant elements.”
However, the ban will not apply to aerial operations related to medical evacuations, disaster response, or surveillance by security agencies.
This year, the yatra will begin on July 3 and conclude on August 9, spanning 38 days, which is shorter than last year’s 52-day schedule. The reduced duration is part of a broader security and logistical recalibration, officials said.
The Amarnath Yatra, which attracts hundreds of thousands of Hindu pilgrims from across India and world, has long been on the radar of terror outfits.
In recent years, the security establishment has grown increasingly wary of the use of drones to smuggle arms or carry out attacks—an emerging tactic in insurgency-hit zones.
In view of the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, in which 25 tourists and a local were killed, additional security measures are being undertaken for peaceful conduct of the yatra.
Nearly 580 companies of central armed police forces (CAPF) are to be deployed along the Yatra route, while aerial surveillance, RFID tracking of pilgrims, and multi-tier security cordons will supplement ground efforts to secure the yatra.
With just two weeks to go for the pilgrimage to begin, authorities are leaving little to chance. “The no-flying order is a precautionary but necessary move, given the nature of threats we face today,” a police official said.
The annual pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva is one of the most significant religious events in India and a major logistical exercise for the administration.