To Ensure Safety, Radio Frequency Tags Made Must For Amarnath Pilgrims

From a massive security grid to radio frequency tags, the centre and the Jammu and Kashmir administration are pulling out all stops to ensure the safety and security of pilgrims during the annual Amarnath yatra, which began today. 

At 62 days, this year's yatra is going to be the longest-ever and over three lakh people have already registered for it. 

As thousands began the pilgrimage through mountain passes to the holy cave, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags have been made a must for each pilgrim to ensure their safety and well-being throughout the yatra, officials said. 

The movements of each pilgrim can be monitored using the RFID tags and the administration can locate them during poor weather conditions and when convoys are on the move. 

A massive security grid has also been put in place. Besides the Army and police, personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force, Border Security Force, Indo Tibetan Border Police, Central Industrial Security Force and other security agencies are also part of the grid. 

Hundreds of new security bunkers have been set up all along the road leading to the Pahalgam and Baltal base camps and on the way to the cave shrine. High-tech surveillance measures, including drones, are also being used.

Jammu and Kashmir's Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha had flagged off the first batch of over 3,000 pilgrims from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu yesterday, and a second batch of over 4,000 left this morning. 

Pilgrims take two routes to get to the 3,888-metre-high Amarnath shrine - the 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the steeper 14-km-long Baltal route in Ganderbal district.