Second batch of pilgrims leave for Amarnath Yatra from Jammu amid tight security

Second batch of pilgrims leave for Amarnath Yatra from Jammu amid tight security

Listen to Story The second batch of pilgrims has left the Jammu base camp amid tight security for the holy cave shrine of Amarnath in the south Kashmir Himalayas. Over 1,800 pilgrims are part of the second batch that left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp on Saturday, June 29, to start their journey to the cave shrine. Earlier on June 29, the first batch of pilgrims left the twin base camps in Baltal and Nunwan to start their journey to the cave shrine located at an altitude of 3,880 metres. The Yatra started on June 29 from the twin tracks -- the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag and the 14-km shorter but steeper Baltal route in Ganderbal. At least 30,000 pilgrims have already completed their pilgrimage in the first two days of the annual Amarnath Yatra . Stringent security arrangements have been put in place for the smooth conduct of the yatra. Thousands of security personnel from the police, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and other paramilitary forces have been deployed along the route. Aerial surveillance is also being carried out. The 52-day pilgrimage will conclude on August 19. Meanwhile, central public sector undertaking ONGC has set up two 100-bed hospitals at the twin Amarnath base camps in Kashmir and announced that the facilities would continue to operate after the annual yatra. In 2023, more than 4.5 lakh pilgrims paid obeisance at the cave shrine.