Srinagar/Jammu: With the annual Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra drawing closer, Jammu and Kashmir has moved into high alert mode with authorities rolling out an extensive multi-layered security and administrative preparedness plan across the Union Territory to ensure a safe and smooth pilgrimage.
Security forces, police, civil administration and multiple support agencies have intensified coordinated operations covering transit routes, base camps, railway infrastructure, lodgement centres and other critical installations linked to the pilgrimage scheduled to commence next month.
Officials said an integrated security grid has been activated with enhanced surveillance, mock drills, anti-sabotage checks and emergency response mechanisms being executed simultaneously across Kashmir and Jammu divisions.
In South Kashmir’s Anantnag district, security deployment has been significantly strengthened along the traditional Pahalgam axis. Specialised teams of Jammu and Kashmir Police are conducting extensive anti-sabotage sweeps, area domination exercises and sanitisation operations from Khanabal to Pahalgam, covering transit points, parking areas, accommodation facilities and identified vulnerable locations.
The operations are being supported by bomb disposal squads, K9 sniffer units and technical surveillance teams equipped with modern detection systems to identify and neutralise potential threats.
Authorities have also intensified inspections of vehicles, particularly abandoned and unattended vehicles, while surveillance in forest belts and sensitive stretches of the pilgrimage route has been enhanced.
A major technological intervention introduced this year is QR code-based verification for service providers associated with the Yatra, including pony operators and support workers, aimed at improving identification, monitoring and pilgrim safety.
Tourists and local stakeholders welcomed the arrangements. Visitors appreciated the heightened vigilance while service providers said the QR verification system has brought greater transparency and confidence among both workers and pilgrims.
As part of emergency preparedness, a large-scale mock drill was conducted at Chichi Mata Temple in Samba district to evaluate response capabilities in the event of a terror attack or other emergency situation. The exercise focused on evacuation protocols, crowd control, inter-agency coordination and rapid response.
In North Kashmir, Baramulla witnessed a major joint security exercise under the supervision of the Army’s 79 Mountain Brigade involving personnel from the Army, CRPF, BSF, Jammu and Kashmir Police, Special Operations Group (SOG), civil administration, Fire and Emergency Services and medical teams.
Officials said the exercise simulated multiple scenarios including crowd mobilisation, misinformation campaigns, road accidents, stone-pelting incidents and casualty evacuation. The drill tested command-and-control systems, intelligence coordination and rapid deployment capabilities.
Security audits and preventive measures have also been extended to railway stations, railway tracks, bridges, culverts and public utility infrastructure across several districts.
Meanwhile, in Kathua, Senior Superintendent of Police Mohita Sharma chaired a comprehensive Joint Security Review Meeting to fine-tune arrangements for Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra-2026.
During the meeting, district police reviewed convoy movement plans, surveillance systems, deployment of Quick Reaction Teams (QRTs), anti-sabotage strategies and emergency response frameworks.
The SSP directed officers to intensify intelligence gathering and strengthen real-time sharing of actionable inputs among agencies. She ordered enhanced domination of the National Highway, railway corridors and border belts through round-the-clock patrolling, naka checking and area surveillance.
Instructions were also issued to complete tenant verification and census drives at hotels, dhabas, industrial units and residential clusters situated along the Yatra route.
Kathua Police additionally planned intensified drone-based monitoring, deployment of Dog Squads and installation of X-ray screening systems at strategic locations including Base Camp Lakhanpur and other key points.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh said all arrangements, including security, have been put in place for the smooth conduct of the annual Amarnath Yatra, which begins early next month.
Singh expressed confidence that the pilgrimage, scheduled to start on July 3, will be successful.
“The yatra this time is for a longer duration, and the administration has taken care of everything, including from the security point of view. We are confident that the yatra will be very successful,” the minister told reporters here.
The remarks from Singh, who is the Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, came following the inauguration of the 59th Pre-Retirement Counselling Workshop organised by the Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare at the SKICC here.
Parallel to security preparations, civil administration has accelerated infrastructure readiness for pilgrims.
Deputy Commissioner Anantnag and Yatra Officer for the Pahalgam axis, Dr Bilal Mohiuddin Bhat, conducted extensive inspections of Yatra Transit Camps at Mir Bazar and Qazigund and reviewed arrangements for toilets, healthcare, drinking water, power supply, bedding and sanitation.
The Deputy Commissioner directed departments to ensure quality toilet facilities, proper lighting, drainage systems, designated spaces for langars and timely completion of repair works.
Special emphasis was laid on uninterrupted water and electricity supply, hygiene maintenance and adequate support infrastructure.
The DC also inspected Yatri Niwas at Subhanpora, Bijbehara, being developed under the aegis of ONGC, which has accommodation capacity for around 1,500 pilgrims. Executing agencies were instructed to complete all pending works within stipulated timelines and make the facility fully operational before the Yatra begins.
In Udhampur, Deputy Commissioner Minga Sherpa chaired a high-level review meeting covering arrangements from Tikri to Chenani. Departments were directed to ensure uninterrupted power and water supply, healthcare readiness, sanitation management, traffic regulation and emergency response systems.
To strengthen coordination during the pilgrimage, the Jammu and Kashmir Government has temporarily deputed 63 officers from various departments to support logistics, pilgrim services and inter-departmental functioning.
Officials said the combined efforts of security agencies and civil administration are aimed at ensuring a peaceful, secure and spiritually fulfilling Amarnath Yatra for thousands of pilgrims expected to arrive from across the country.
