Amarnath Yatra registration begins

Jammu, Mar 3: The registration of pilgrims for the annual Amarnath Yatra via the Baltal and Chandanwari routes, has commenced at 430 designated bank branches across the country.

The registration for Amarnath pilgrims has commenced on March 2, for both the Baltal and Chandanwari routes, through 430 designated branches of Punjab National Bank, Jammu and Kashmir Bank and Yes Bank all over the country, Rakesh Kumar Gupta, Chief Executive Officer of Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board, said.

This year's 59-day yatra shall commence simultaneously on both the routes from July 2 and culminate on Raksha Bandhan, the August 29. Gupta said the step-by-step procedure which the pilgrims need to follow to register for the yatra has been put up on the Board's website, www.shriamarnathjishrine.com.

The website also contains the application form and state-wise list of the bank branches with complete addresses. The CEO said that the pilgrim shall have to furnish a compulsory health certificate and the format of the certificate and a state-wise list of doctors/institutes authorised to issue such certificates has been put up on the Board's website.

He stressed that only certificates issued by doctors or medical institutes authorised by the concerned state government/UT administrations shall be accepted at the registering bank branches. For the Yatra 2015, only those health certificates which have been issued after February 10 this year shall be valid.

The CEO further informed that persons under the age of 13 years or above 75 years and ladies who are more than six weeks pregnant, would not be registered for the yatra.

The CEO further informed that this year, Yatra permits would be different for each day of the week and route, with a different colour coding for each day, so as to facilitate police personnel deployed at Access Control Gates at Baltal and Chandanwari to regulate the Yatra as per the relevant date and route.

Gupta stressed that for ensuring effective security arrangements along difficult tracks, only those pilgrims who have a valid permit, for a specified date and route, will be allowed to proceed beyond the base camps, and cross the entry gates at Domel and Chandanwari.

He appealed to all aspiring pilgrims to complete the necessary formalities for registration in advance so that they do not face any inconvenience during the Yatra.

However, those planning to travel by helicopter do not require advance registration as their helicopter tickets shall suffice for this purpose, he said.

However, they shall be required to produce the compulsory health certificate, in the prescribed format and issued by an authorised doctor, before they are allowed to travel by helicopter, he said.

PTI