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Insurance cover for Amarnath pilgrims from this year

Srinagar June 5. The Jammu and Kashmir Government has decided to provide insurance cover to all the pilgrims visiting the holy Amarnath shrine from this year.

Measures were underway for devising a system for registration of Amarnath pilgrims for providing them an insurance cover through METLIFE of Jammu and Kashmir Bank, an official spokesman said quoting the District Development Commissioner (Srinagar), Abdul Hamid.

He said Mr. Hamid conveyed the decision at a meeting of senior officers of the Army, security agencies and the State police at Baltal Sonamarg. The meeting discussed the arrangements for the annual Amarnath pilgrimage that lasts a month, beginning July 22 this year.

About 1,50,000 pilgrims from all over the country were expected to visit the shrine for a ``darshan'' of the natural ice Shivalingam at the cave shrine.

He said with the shortest route to the cave the number of pilgrims from the Baltal track may increase from 800 to 1,500 a day.

Mr. Hamid directed the officers to earmark space for ``langers'' to avoid any confusion.

Plastic tents would not be allowed and only canvas tents would have to be pitched with a fire-gap provision to avoid any incident.

All the departments concerned would set-up base camps at Baltal on July 10 and the track from there to the holy cave would be fenced by iron-chains and barricades besides widening the pony track, Mr. Hamid added.

He said a joint control room of the core group would also start functioning from July 10.

A contingency plan, based on disaster management, had been devised to meet any untoward situation. Arrangements for evacuation of the injured, old, infirm and sick for treatment at the base camp, hospitals and other places had also been made, Mr. Hamid informed the meeting.

— UNI

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