JAMMU: The Union home ministry is expected to undertake a final security review of the forthcoming Amarnath Yatra in Jammu and Kashmir with all the stakeholders in New Delhi on Tuesday.
The meeting will be held in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) at North Block and will be chaired by Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla. The heads of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), such as the CRPF, BSF and ITBP, and senior officials from intelligence, the Army, the Jammu and Kashmir administration and the Amarnath shrine board are expected to attend the meeting, the sources said.
The 62-day annual pilgrimage is scheduled to start on July 1 and continue till August 31.
This is going to be the final security review before the Amarnath Yatra begins, the sources said.
They said the meeting is also expected to discuss the “location-wise” deployment of security forces, including a major change this time of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) not being deployed at the cave shrine and about half-a-dozen locations along the pilgrimage route.
The CRPF has been traditionally guarding the cave shrine, located at a height of 3,888 metres in the south Kashmir Himalayas, for decades now and some vital pilgrim camps en route.
The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has been tasked to guard the cave shrine this time and the CRPF will be deployed just below the stairs, the sources said.
The ITBP and BSF troops will also be deployed at six other locations along the route, a task usually rendered by the CRPF.
The sources said this was done keeping in mind the “emerging security threats and challenges” and in accordance with the “requirements of the Jammu and Kashmir Police”.
Officials informed that as a huge number of CRPF units have been deployed in violence-hit Manipur and for the panchayat polls in West Bengal, the lead internal security force of the country has been asked to secure the yatra route in the Kashmir valley, where the pilgrims will board buses before starting the uphill climb.
Meanwhile, Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police Dilbag Singh on Monday emphasised on all security officers to maintain very close coordination for the successful conduct of the annual Amarnath Yatra.
The first batch of pilgrims will leave for Kashmir from Jammu base camp Bhagwati Nagar on June 30, one day ahead of the scheduled commencement of the 62-day long yatra to the 3,880-metre high holy cave shrine.
The DGP was chairing a joint meeting of Jammu Zone Police and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) officers here to review the security arrangements and deployment plans for the Yatra in Jammu Zone, police said in a statement here.
Addressing the meeting, the DGP emphasised on all the officers to maintain very close coordination, saying it is of utmost importance to ensure an incident-free Yatra.
He said the sectoral officers and Police Control Rooms (PCRs) must have the information regarding the availability and location of special teams like drone units, bomb disposal squads, dog squads and quick reaction teams to ensure that services of these teams are utilised on a real-time basis in case of any emergency.
The DGP directed the officers to formulate contingency plans, with a focus on disaster management and swift response mechanism, to deal with any untoward situation during the Yatra.
The DGP directed for installation of CCTV cameras at all important locations including ‘langars’, eateries and petrol pumps to monitor the movement of suspects.
He emphasised that the incharge commander is the first respondent of any incident and added that the commander should be ever ready for the immediate action plan and handling situation.
Singh also directed for effective and efficient deployment at Yatri Niwas Jammu, Jammu-Srinagar National Highway and other important places for safe and secure pilgrimage.
He directed officials to use drones and other necessary tools to monitor the security of pilgrims.
Asking the officers to ensure that all SOPs issued for the purpose are followed in letter and spirit, the DGP directed erecting hoardings with phone numbers along the Yatra route so that any pilgrim seeking any assistance could reach out to the police without any difficulty.
The DGP directed for the sufficient deployment of manpower at railway stations and airports to assist the travelling pilgrims.
With regard to traffic movement, the DGP asked the department to ensure lane discipline to avoid unnecessary jamming.
He also directed that every traffic police personnel deployed for traffic management should be given wireless coverage, which is an effective tool for real-time coordination.
“Any traffic jamming at any place on the national highway should be communicated with all the beat officers so that necessary steps are taken accordingly,” Singh said.
The DGP stressed using cameras and other necessary tools to monitor vehicular movement.
Later, Singh visited the Bhagwati Nagar base camp and took firsthand stock of arrangements for security deployments, logistic facilities for pilgrims and traffic arrangements for vehicle parking being put in place for the pilgrimage.
