Registration for Shri Amarnath Yatra 2011 starts from 10th May
Advance Booking for
Helicopter Service starts from 10th May
Jammu, May 3 - The process of Yatris’ registration for Shri Amarnathji Yatra -2011 in Jammu and Kashmir shall commence on 10th May, 2011, simultaneously along both the Baltal and Chandanwari routes, through 149 Bank Branches located across the country, and Internet based e-Registration System.
According to Mr. R. K. Goyal, Chief Executive Officer of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB), the registration of the Yatris will commence from Registration Counters established in 121 designated Branches of the J&K Bank, 24 Branches of the YES Bank and 4 District Cooperative Banks. He added that, for the information of all concerned, the details of these Branches are available on Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board’s website. He further stated that, as decided by the Shrine Board after its meeting held on 18th February, 2011, this year’s Yatra shall commence simultaneously, along both the Baltal and the Chandanwari routes, on 29th June and culminate on Raksha Bandhan, the 13th August, 2011.
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The CEO stated that, on the directions of the Chairman of Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board, the Shrine Board has endeavoured every year to progressively expand the Registration network in the country, for the convenience of the intending Yatris. The Shrine Board has succeeded, this year, to increase the number of Counters from 121 (in 2010) to 149 by securing support from other Banks in various States.
It was further informed that the Registration will be done on “First-Come-First-Serve Basis”. The Registration Counters at the Designated Branches of the J&K Bank (121), YES Bank (24) and the District Cooperative Banks (4) in the State of Bihar shall remain open from 3 PM to 6 PM on all working week days and 1 PM to 4 PM on all working Saturdays during the period of Registration, upto 10th August, 2011.
For the purpose of Registration, the requisite Application Form can be collected from any of the Designated Branches of the J&K Bank, YES Bank and the aforesaid District Cooperative Banks or downloaded from the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board’s website. Registration will be done through a Yatra Permit which will be issued on the submission of the Application Form, duly filled in, along with the payment of handling charges of Rs.15/- per Yatri. The CEO stated that there has been no increase in the Fee of Rs. 15/- for Registration done either through the Registration Counters or through the Internet based e-Registration system.
The CEO said that the system of on-line e-Registration has been further improved this year. It was clarified that the Yatra Permit generated through on-line internet based system will no longer be treated as provisional. Consequently, it will not require to be got validated at the Registration Counters at Jammu or Srinagar, as was required to be done during Yatra 2010. He added that the Yatris can register online via the website of Jammu & Kashmir Bank in an interactive mode, on payment of handling charges of Rs 15/- per Yatri. This facility has been provided particularly for the benefit of those pilgrims who may not have ready access to any of the 149 Designated Registration Counters. It was also disclosed that every Registered Yatri has been provided, at the cost of the Shrine Board, an Accidental Insurance Cover of Rs one lakh.
The CEO cautioned the Yatris against undertaking this arduous Yatra without securing a Yatra Permit. He stressed that, for effective security and arrangements along the difficult tracks, only those Yatris will be allowed to enter and proceed beyond the Base Camps who are in possession of a Yatra Permit which is valid for a specified date and route. The CEO appealed to all those who intend to undertake the pilgrimage to early complete the necessary formalities for Registration and timely obtain a Yatra Permit, in their own interest, so that no inconvenience is faced by any Yatri on the date of his/her Yatra and the route to be followed.
The CEO stated that the interested Yatris can reserve their Helicopter-seats through the web based On-line Reservation System, by logging on to the Shrine Board’s website, from 10th May 2011 onwards (view the Helicopter Services for Shri Amarnathji Yatra 2011). He clarified that, to reduce inconvenience and delays, the Yatris who travel by the helicopter services would not be required to separately obtain Yatra Permits as their required details would have been recorded before issue of the helicopter tickets, which would serve as Yatra Permits.
It was informed that the Helicopter services for the Yatris who wish to avail of such facilities would be available on each of the two routes viz. Baltal-Panjtarni–Baltal and Pahalgam–Panjtarni-Pahalgam. The one way Helicopter fare for Baltal-Panjtarni and Pahalgam-Panjtarni has been fixed at Rs. 2425/- and Rs. 3450/-, respectively. Children, in the age group of 2-12 years, will be required to pay half the aforesaid prices. He further disclosed that from Panjtarni to the Holy Cave, a hilly track of about 6 kms, the Yatris may travel on foot or by Ponies or Palkies, as per their wish. The one way Pahalgam-Panjtarni helicopter fare has come down to Rs. 3450/-, from Rs. 3800 last year.
The CEO has appealed to the pilgrims to strictly adhere to the announced Yatra schedule and, under no circumstances whatsoever, venture on the arduous track except on the date for which they are registered for the Yatra. He also urged the Yatris, before commencing Yatra, to most carefully read the Do’s and Don’ts which are printed on the reverse of the Yatra Permit and are also available at the Board’s website. In this context, the CEO referred to the precious lives lost in the past years for want of adequate precautions and cautioned that no person who has a serious medical or orthopaedic ailment, or any breathing, chest or heart problem, must undertake this arduous Yatra. He noted that, in the interest of the Yatris, every pilgrim has been required to provide a self-certification that he/she is fit to undertake the arduous Yatra, which involves climbing upto nearly 14,000 feet.
It was further informed that special emphasis is being laid on the preservation of the ecology and environment of the Yatra area. A detailed Action Plan has been drawn up, under the expert guidance of Dr. Sunita Narain, an eminent Environmentalist and Member of the Shrine Board, to maintain cleanliness at the Base Camps in Baltal and Nunwan and enroute the Holy Cave. It is planned to launch a concerted campaign to effectively prohibit the use of plastic bags/materials. In this context, he said that the Langar Organisations have volunteered to distribute environment friendly jute/cotton bags, free of cost to the Yatris, to curb the usage of polythene bags in the Yatra area. He added that shedders are being installed at both the Base Camps for shredding all plastic materials collected by workers engaged by the Board. The well planned arrangements shall be implemented on the ground for the treatment of sewage wastes on scientific lines. The CEO appealed to the Yatris not to use polythene bags, sachets and food packets as the use of polythene is totally banned and any infringement of this regulation shall result in placing the violator in avoidable difficulty.
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