JAMMU: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha today inaugurated Shri Amarnath Ji Shrine Board’s (SASB) Yatri Niwas at Chanderkote, Ramban through virtual mode from the Convention Centre, Canal road, Jammu.
Speaking on the occasion, the Lt Governor said that today’s inauguration of Chanderkote Yatri Niwas is an important link in the efforts of administration to organize a grand Yatra this year.
“The state-of-the-art facility, with a capacity of 3600 pilgrims, will provide huge relief and comfort to the pilgrims of Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra”, he added.
The Lt Governor observed that this picturesque Yatri Niwas spread over 23 kanals is an important stop in the journey of Baba Barfani and every effort has been made to equip the facility with all modern amenities.
The project completed at a cost of Rs.47.00 crore is one of the fastest projects completed in the UT. Immediately after the site was finalized, the work on execution of the project was entrusted to CPWD in the month of April 2021 and has been completed in 14 months record time.
The Yatri Niwas has a cluster of 17 dormitories in G+2 dimensions with all modern facilities and features including barrier free environment, modern toilets, fire extinguisher equipments, signages, LED down lighters etc. in all dormitories.
Acknowledging the commitment of all those engaged with the construction of Yatri Niwas, tackling various constraints owing to geography and terrain, the Lt Governor congratulated the engineers, workers, and officials for their tremendous efforts.
The Lt Governor also expressed his gratitude to IIT Roorkee for making a significant contribution in the completion of this project.
“I have been personally monitoring all the arrangements. This year, facilities have been developed for accommodation of passengers at 8 places in the Yatra Holding Area”, he said.
The Lt Governor said improvements have been made across the board to enhance the holding capacities, provide best-in-class medical, sanitation, and lodging facilities, and in many firsts, offering pilgrims the convenience of performing Yatra in a single day by starting helicopter services on new routes.
For the convenience of the Yatris reaching Jammu, camps have been set up at the airport, railway station and bus stand, which will issue RFID tags on the basis of travel slip and identity card. Further, new shelter sheds have been built on Baltal and Pahalgam Axis. Enhanced medical facilities have been made operational to cater emergency needs of Yatris.
The facility of battery car will be provided to the passengers for the distance of 2.3 kms of Baltal and Domel and optical fiber cable has been laid on the entire route of the Yatra to provide dedicated telecom connectivity to the pilgrims.
The Lt Governor said that the Amarnathji Shrine Board Android mobile app has been revamped and launched in 5 languages- Hindi, English, Punjabi, Gujarati and Telugu to facilitate Yatris with up to date information, advisories etc.
It was informed that the duty officers deputed have been given training about the SoPs of all services related to covid, health, cleanliness, waste management, monitoring of travel, food and prasad. Further, disaster related facilities have also been duly planned and mock drills have also been conducted regularly to tackle any eventuality.
Jugal Kishore Sharma, Member Parliament; Chander Mohan Gupta, Mayor Jammu; DDC Chairpersons of Jammu, Ramban, prominent personalities and religious leaders, former legislators, representatives of Chamber of Commerce & Industry (CCI), Traders Federation, besides senior administrative officers and other concerned were present on the occasion.
Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta, Chief Secretary; Mukesh Singh, ADGP, Jammu; Ramesh Kumar, Divisional Commissioner Jammu; Mussarat Islam, Deputy Commissioner, Ramban; Ms Avny Lavasa, Deputy Commissioner, Jammu were also present.