Security agencies conduct full-scale mock drill ahead of Amarnath Yatra
Srinagar, June 30 (PTI) A comprehensive multi-layer security arrangement has been established for the Amarnath Yatra, and a mock drill involving all relevant agencies was conducted to test the effectiveness of the system, police said on Tuesday.
The 57-day annual pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre-high Amarnath cave shrine is scheduled to begin on July 3 from two routes: the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam track in Anantnag district and the shorter yet steeper 14-km Baltal route in Ganderbal district. The first group of pilgrims will depart from Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in Jammu on July 2.
“IGP Kashmir Zone, V K Birdi, informed reporters that the Jammu and Kashmir Police has implemented these multi-tiered security measures. “We are carrying out a full dress rehearsal and mock drills to ensure clarity among all security personnel regarding their roles,” he said.
If any contingency comes up, every security force can handle it properly, he added.
“As far as area monitoring and supervision is concerned, we have kept systems in place so we can monitor from height. If there’s any aberration or abnormal observation, we can respond to it immediately,” he said.
Birdi said technology was being used to make the security system robust.
“This time as well, the J-K Police has set up a grid of CCTV surveillance cameras across the entire yatra routes and tracks. It has recognition features that will flag any adverse entities entering the system, so that security forces deployed there can remove them from the area or handle the situation,” he added.
Regarding the challenges posed by nature, Birdi acknowledged vulnerabilities related to weather and natural disasters on the upper tracks.
