Amarnath Yatra commences in Anantnag district of Kashmir, Srinagar/Jammu. The initial group of pilgrims began their trek from the base camps at Baltal and Nunwan towards the cave temple located at 3,880 meters in the South Kashmir Himalayas, as per authorities. Pilgrims departed early on Saturday via the familiar 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam path in Anantnag and the shorter yet steeper 14 km Baltal route in Ganderbal.
The journey commenced with two routes, in the company of Deputy Commissioners, Senior Police Officers, and Civil Administrative Officers. On Friday, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha started the journey of 4,603 pilgrims from Yatri Niwas base camp at Bhagwati Nagar in Jammu. Upon arriving in the Kashmir Valley on Saturday afternoon, the pilgrims received a warm reception from the local residents and government authorities.
Stringent security measures have been implemented to ensure the successful organization of the Amarnath Yatra. To achieve this, numerous security forces including police, Central Reserve Police Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, and other paramilitary units have been stationed in this area. Aerial monitoring will continue to be in place at the pilgrimage location. The journey lasting 52 days is set to conclude on August 19th. The second group of 1,881 pilgrims departed from Bhagwati Nagar base camp on Saturday with tight security measures in place.
ONGC establishes two hospitals with a capacity of 100 beds each.
ONGC established two hospitals with 100 beds each at the Amarnath Base Camp. Hospitals will persist following the pilgrimage. Acknowledging the requirement for sustainable healthcare, ONGC has built permanent hospitals at Baltal and Chandanwari-Pahalgam in Anantnag as part of its 'CSR' initiative, according to the statement.
