Amarnath yatra: Registration of pilgrims to begin from March 1

Tribune News Service

Jammu, February 25

The registration for the annual pilgrimage to the holy Amarnath cave shrine of Lord Shiva, nestled in south Kashmir Himalayas, would commence on March 1, for both Baltal and Chandanwari routes.

This year’s pilgrimage would commence, simultaneously on both routes, from June 29 and culminate on Raksha Bandhan (August 7). The registration would be done through 433 designated branches of Punjab National Bank, J&K Bank and YES Bank located in various states of the country.

In an official statement here, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Shri Amarnath Shrine Board, PK Tripathi, said the step-by-step procedure which the pilgrims need to follow to register for the yatra had been put on the board’s website, www.shriamarnathjishrine.com.

The website also contains the application form and state-wise list of bank branches (with complete addresses) which the pilgrims can visit for registering themselves for the pilgrimage.

The CEO said the pilgrims would have to furnish a compulsory health certificate (CHC) while seeking registration for the yatra. The format of the CHC and the state-wise list of doctors and medical institutes authorised to issue it has also been put on the website.

“For ensuring against fraudulent health certificates, only such CHCs as are issued by doctors or medical institutes authorised by the state governments and UTs administrations shall be accepted at the registering branches. For the yatra, only those health certificates which have been issued after February 10, 2017, shall be considered valid,” the CEO said, adding, “Persons under the age of 13 years or above the age of 75 years and women who are more than six weeks pregnant shall not be registered.”

The CEO said, “Yatra permits shall be in different colours for each day of the week/and route, with a different colour coding for each day, to facilitate the police personnel deployed at the access control gates (at Baltal and Chandanwari).”

The CEO cautioned the intending pilgrims against undertaking the arduous yatra without securing a permit and the health certificate. He said for ensuring effective security arrangements along the difficult tracks, only those pilgrims who are in possession of a permit shall be allowed to proceed beyond the base camps, and cross the entry gates at Domel and Chandanwari.

He appealed to all intending yatris to complete the necessary formalities for registration in advance and timely obtain a yatra permit in their own interest, so that they do not face any inconvenience when they embark on the pilgrimage.

The pilgrims who propose to travel by helicopter do not require advance registration as their helicopter ticket shall suffice for the purpose.

However, they would require producing the CHC in the prescribed format, which has been issued by an authorised state government doctor, before they are allowed to travel by helicopter.