Amarnath yatra to begins from July 2

This year’s 48-day-long annual Amarnath pilgrimage will commence on July 2. The decision was taken today by the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board at its 30th board meeting in New Delhi. The meeting was presided over by Governor NN Vohra, who is the chairman of the shrine board.
The duration and date of commencement of this year’s pilgrimage was based on the recommendations of the Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Committee, which had been set up to advise the board on this key aspect. The date of the start of the yatra, July 2, is an auspicious day of Massik Shivratri as per Hindu calendar and it will conclude on Shravan Purnima (Raksha Bandhan) on August 18. Considering the present carrying capacity of the tracks — via Nunwan (Pahalgam) and Baltal (Sonamarg) — and the available infrastructure in the yatra area, the board decided that, excluding the pilgrims who would travel by helicopters on either route to Panjtarni, 7,500 pilgrims would be allowed to register for this year’s yatra on per day, per route basis.
The board noted the steps taken by Chief Executive Officer PK Tripathi to rationalise the distribution of the yatra permit forms for advance registration of pilgrims through 432 designated branches of Punjab National Bank, Jammu and Kashmir Bank, and Yes Bank spread over 32 states and UTs. It directed the CEO to take all required steps to commence the registration of pilgrims from February 29 for both the Baltal and Chandanwari routes.
Reiterating that every pilgrim must obtain a compulsory health certificate (CHC) from the doctors or hospitals nominated by the states and UTs before applying to the nearest designated bank branch for getting a Yatra Permit, the Board advised the CEO to send out an appeal to all potential pilgrims to consult their doctors before embarking on the pilgrimage even after having obtained a Health Certificate some weeks earlier.
The CEO was directed to take timely steps for ensuring uninterrupted telecom connectivity in the yatra area. He was also told to repeatedly publicise through the electronic and print media that the intending yatris must furnish the prescribed CHC before getting registered for the yatra. The CEO will also publicise the registration procedure; institutes authorised to issue compulsory health certificates; the do’s and don’ts to be followed by the yatris; and the health advisories to prevent pilgrims from getting afflicted with serious illness during the yatra. The awareness campaign will be launched through the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The CEO shall place all information relating to the yatra on the board website — www.shriamarnathjishrine.com.
Appreciating the services rendered by the Langar Organization during Yatra 2015, the board expected continued cooperation from them this year as well.
Those present in the meeting included the board members Kapila Vatsyayan, Devi Prasad Shetty, Vijay Dhar, Sunita Narain, Pt. Bhajan Sopori, DC Raina and Chander Mouli Raina. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar participated in the discussions via teleconferencing.
The board CEO and Additional Chief Executive Officer Jitendra Kumar Singh also attended the meeting.