Amarnath ‘Aarti’ to be telecast live on Doordarshan

Pilgrims to be tested, quarantined; per day inflow limited to 500

The Amarnath ‘Aarti’ this year will be telecast live on Doordarshan, while in view of the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic, Jammu and Kashmir government has decided to allow only a maximum of 500 yatris to proceed from Jammu by road daily to perform darshan.

This was decided during a meeting of the sub- committee constituted by the Supreme Court for Shri Amarnathji Yatra, held under the chairmanship of J&K Chief Secretary, B V R Subrahmanyam, in Jammu.

An official spokesperson said during the meeting it was informed that Baba Amarnath ‘Aarti’ this year will be telecast live on Doordarshan.

The Chief Secretary emphasised that adequate arrangements should be made to ensure unhindered telecast of the Aarti, he said. Given the constraints, a maximum of 500 yatris only could be allowed per day by road from Jammu.

Therefore, arrangements will have to be limited to this number. With regard to the security arrangements, the Chief Secretary asked the police to ensure effective regulation of the Yatra at access control gates. He emphasised that all deployments in relation to security, rescue and fire and emergency need to be in place well in time.

While reviewing the preparations for the annual pilgrimage, the Chief Secretary observed that in view of the Covid-19 pandemic, the State Executive Committee constituted under the Disaster Management Act has issued SoPs which, inter alia, prescribe 100% RTPCR test for all persons travelling into J&K.

All entrants into J&K will have to be sampled, tested and quarantined till they are reported to be negative. Besides, social distancing norms would further strain these holding capacities.. Chief Secretary said, keeping in view these circumstances, the Yatra this year, would have to be undertaken in a restricted manner, so that the SoPs for Covid-19 are strictly adhered to during the conduct of the Yatra.

The 42-day long annual pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre-high holy cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas was scheduled to begin from June 23 from traditional Pahalgam -Chandanwari track and shorter Sonamarag-Baltal route.

However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the decision to cut-short the time period of the pilgrimage was taken last month during a meeting held by Jammu and Kashmir lieutenant governor GC Murmu.

Every year lakhs of pilgrims either take the traditional and longer 45km-long Pahalgam route or the shorter 14km-long Baltal route to Amarnath, one of Hinduism’s holiest shrines. The pilgrimage usually spans nearly a month-and-a-half and takes place during July and August.

Last year, the yatra was cut short following intelligence inputs of terror threats ahead of the Centre scrapping Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. In 2018, the pilgrimage was held for 60 days.