Amid coronavirus outbreak, online registration for Amarnath Yatra to begin from April 15

Jammu, Apr 12: The online registration for the annual Amarnath Yatra through Baltal and Chandanwari routes will begin from April 15, an official said on Monday. The 56-day yatra to the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine of Amarnath in the South Kashmir Himalayas is scheduled to start from the two routes on June 28 and culminate on August 22.

Nitishwar Kumar, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) informed that pilgrims will have to register on - www.jksasb.nic.in by filling in their details in the online application form and attaching a photograph and compulsory health certificate (CHC).

The CEO said health certificates issued by doctors and medical institutes authorised by the concerned state government and union territory administration after March 15 shall be accepted. The steps which yatris need to follow for online registration have been put on the board's website -- www.shriamarnathjishrine.com, the official said.

The CEO informed that pilgrims can download the required permits for the yatra after their applications have been duly processed. The pilgrims will have to carry original photo identity card and CHC with them during the yatra, he added.

Kumar said for ensuring effective security arrangements along the difficult tracks, only those who possess yatra permit valid for a specified date and route, will be allowed to proceed beyond the base camps and cross the entry gates at Domel and Chandanwari.

The CEO said those under 13 years or above 75 years, and women who are more than six weeks pregnant would not be allowed to register. Pilgrims travelling by a chopper do not need to register as their helicopter tickets shall suffice, the officer said.

However, they shall be required to produce the CHC in the prescribed format issued by an authorised doctor before they are allowed to travel by helicopter, the official added.