L-G Manoj Sinha Appeals To Amarnath Pilgrims To Honour Registration Dates

Srinagar : Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, who also chairs the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB), on Sunday said this year’s Amarnath Yatra has witnessed an unprecedented rush of devotees and appealed to pilgrims without valid registration, as well as those arriving ahead of their allotted dates, to wait for their designated turn in the interest of safety and orderly management.

Speaking to reporters at the Nunwan Base Camp in Pahalgam, Sinha said the administration and the Shrine Board had strengthened arrangements across the pilgrimage routes, but the unusually heavy inflow of pilgrims required strict adherence to the registration schedule.

“I have closely observed the last four editions of the Amarnath Yatra. This time, there has been a massive increase in the number of pilgrims. A large number of people are arriving even without prior registration. The Jammu and Kashmir administration and the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board have made better arrangements than ever before. I urge all unregistered pilgrims to wait for their turn,” he said.

Highlighting the healthcare facilities put in place for the pilgrimage, the Lt. Governor said a 100-bed hospital at Nunwan has been operational for the past two years and is attending to nearly 2,500 patients every day. He said the facility reflected the scale of medical preparedness required for a high-altitude pilgrimage conducted under demanding weather and terrain conditions.

Later, in a post on ‘X’, Sinha said he had reviewed the overall management of the Yatra with senior officials at the Nunwan Base Camp. The review, he said, focused on pilgrim movement, security arrangements, accommodation, registration progress and other logistical requirements necessary for a hassle-free pilgrimage.

“Today, I visited the Nunwan Base Camp in Pahalgam to review the management of Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra with senior officials. The discussions focused on key aspects including movement of pilgrims, security measures, accommodation facilities, registration progress, and other logistical requirements essential for a hassle-free holy Yatra,” his post said.

Sinha said he had directed officials to accord the highest priority to the safety, security and convenience of pilgrims. He also asked the administration to ensure that devotees are clearly informed about the importance of travelling strictly on the date mentioned in their registration permits, so that waiting time at base camps is reduced and pressure on facilities is managed effectively.

He said the SASB and all departments associated with Yatra management were working round the clock to provide devotees with a safe, secure and spiritually fulfilling journey to the holy cave shrine.

The fresh appeal came a day after the authorities formally urged intending pilgrims to follow registration dates and capacity restrictions. Officials said thousands of devotees were arriving daily at the Pahalgam and Baltal base camps without prior registration or ahead of their allotted slots, creating avoidable pressure on holding areas, transport, accommodation and route-management systems.

The annual pilgrimage, which commenced on July 3, will continue for 57 days. So, far nearly forty thousand devotees have paid obeisance at the revered cave shrine situated at an altitude of about 3,880 metres in the South Kashmir Himalayas. Devotees undertake the journey either through the traditional 48-kilometre Pahalgam route or the shorter but steeper 14-kilometre Baltal route.

The administration said the pilgrimage is conducted in difficult high-altitude terrain and remains subject to strict safety, environmental and crowd-management regulations. It reiterated that, in compliance with directions of the Supreme Court, a maximum daily limit has been fixed for pilgrims permitted on the Yatra routes, and no devotee will be allowed to proceed beyond the approved capacity.

Officials also referred to the lessons of the 1996 Yatra disaster, after which the Nitish Sengupta Commission recommended regulating pilgrim movement and limiting daily numbers in view of the difficult terrain and safety concerns. The current system of registration and date-wise scheduling, they said, is intended to prevent overcrowding and ensure better disaster preparedness.

Advance registration for the pilgrimage had been opened well before the commencement of the Yatra through designated bank branches across the country and online platforms. The administration said the overwhelming majority of pilgrims had already used this facility, leaving only limited scope for Tatkal, or on-the-spot, registration.

“Pilgrims must ensure that they undertake the journey strictly on the date mentioned in their registration permit. It has been observed that many registered devotees are arriving several days before their allotted date in the hope of proceeding earlier,” a spokesperson of the Amarnath Yatra administration said.

The spokesperson made it clear that no pilgrim would be allowed to undertake the Yatra before the date assigned to him or her, irrespective of the time of arrival at the base camps.

Devotees who have reached J&K without registration have been requested to remain patient and await their turn in accordance with available capacity and established procedures. The administration has assured that every eligible pilgrim will be given an opportunity to perform the Yatra, but only within the limits mandated for safety, disaster preparedness, crowd management and environmental protection.

“All pilgrims are urged to cooperate with the authorities, respect the registration schedule, follow safety advisories and maintain discipline so that the sacred pilgrimage may continue in a safe, orderly and spiritually fulfilling manner for everyone,” the official statement said.