J&K: 29 CCTV cameras, four body scanners to be installed at Amarnath base camp as security measure

File Photo/PTI

Jammu and Kashmir administration will install around 29 CCTV cameras in and around the main base camp for the Amarnath pilgrims in Jammu, officials said on Monday.

The pilgrimage is scheduled to commence from July 1 through the twin tracks in Central Kashmir's Sonamarg and South Kashmir's Pahalgam.

The Yatri Niwas Bhagwati Nagar in Jammu serves as the main base camp for pilgrims from across the country before they leave for Kashmir to pay obeisance at the 3,880-metre-high holy cave shrine of Amarnath.

According to officials, the Yatri Niwas will have nearly 29 CCTV cameras installed in and around the area with two big 360-degree cameras.

These cameras will monitor the entire area round the clock through an electronic eye, they said, adding that four body scanners will also be deployed at the site.

The Yatri Niwas based at Jammu's Bhagwatinagar area will also have close-circuited fire hydrant systems in all the buildings and setups of the basecamp besides an air-conditioned community kitchen hall for the first time.

The repair, renovation, and facelifting work is also going on here at a fast pace to ensure that the basecamp is ready before June 20.

"The work on the repair and renovation of the Yatri Niwas is going on smoothly. The facelifting is going at a fast pace. We expect that Yatri Niwas will be ready by June 20", an officer told PTI.

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He said this time facilities have been further improved with the introduction of close-circuited fire hydrants and air conditions eating halls.

"We have installed six ACs each to make two eating halls fully air-conditioned so that pilgrims get better facilities. We have also installed close circuited fire hydrant systems," he said.

The first batch of pilgrims is expected to leave the Jammu base camp one day prior to the start of the yatra on July 1. (PTI)