Latest news with #Baltal-based
India Gazette
01-07-2025
- India Gazette
"We'll ensure no pilgrim faces trouble": Local shopkeepers enthusiastic ahead of Amarnath Yatra
Baltal (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], July 1 (ANI): As the Amarnath Yatra prepares to commence from July 3 via the Baltal and Pahalgam routes, local shopkeepers and authorities at the Baltal base camp said on Tuesday that they are fully geared up to welcome pilgrims with necessary arrangements in place. They asserted that no pilgrim will face any issues during the Yatra. Speaking to ANI, Baltal-based shopkeeper Abdur Rehman Lone expressed enthusiasm for the pilgrimage season and said preparations are complete. 'Security and all arrangements are in place. We are prepared, and shops and markets are all set up. We are awaiting the Yatra. Our livelihood depends on this. The pilgrims should definitely come here; there are no issues here,' he said. Syed Shah, another shopkeeper at the base camp, noted that cleanliness and coordination with security forces remain a priority. 'The work is going on very welcome the Yatra, pilgrims should come here. We are standing with take special care of cleanliness and hygiene personnel are also working in good coordination,' Shah told ANI. He added, 'Our markets have been set up. There are no issues here. Vehicles, accommodation and everything else are available will not let anyone face any issues...' Meanwhile, in the Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir, security measures have been heightened given the pilgrimage. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Doda, Ajay Anand, informed that 24/7 checking is being carried out due to the Amarnath Yatra. 'Because of the Amarnath yatra, 24/7 checking is going on. When the bus was stopped for inspection, two boys, Amzad Ali and Vikas, also known as Sunny, emerged and began to run. We have recovered a total of 22 g of drug... They both were on our radar, and after this checking, we caught them,' DSP Anand said. Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Chaudhary described the Amarnath Yatra as a celebration of the region's unity and brotherhood. Chaudhary reviewed the preparations for the yatra, praising the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) for their exceptional work in redeveloping the track. The Amarnath Yatra, a revered pilgrimage in Jammu and Kashmir, is set to begin on July 3, with thousands of devotees expected to participate. Speaking to media reporters, Deputy CM Chaudhary said, 'This yatra is a festival of J-K. The beauty of this yatra is that the base camp is in Jammu and the shrine of Baba Amarnath is in Kashmir. This is the brotherhood of Jammu and Kashmir, which the world knows... I had come here to chair the review meeting of the yatra that starts on 3 July. I saw the track... It gives me immense pleasure to tell you that BRO has done an exemplary job at redeveloping the track.' 'The working days in Kashmir are extremely few, and now, when the Yatra begins, work will again stop... The state government and the shrine board are managing the yatra,' Chaudhary said. The 38-day yatra will commence on July 3 and conclude on August 9. The pilgrimage will follow two routes - the traditional 48-km Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the 14-km shorter but steeper Baltal route in Ganderbal district. The first batch of pilgrims will depart from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu on July 2. (ANI)
Hindustan Times
27-06-2025
- Hindustan Times
JK: Jaish terrorists killed in Udhampur encounter
Ahead of Amarnath Yatra, a terrorist of Jaish -e-Mohammad (JeM) outfit was gunned down during an encounter between security forces and four terrorists in the Basantgarh area of Udhampur district on Thursday morning, army's Nagrota-based White Knight Corps stated on X. A securityman during a search operation after an encounter broke out between security forces and terrorists in a remote forested area, in Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur district on Thursday. (PTI) Earlier, a senior police officer said that acting on an intelligence input, a joint operation was launched by the police and the army in Basantgarh during which they came under intense fire, triggering a gunfight. Additional reinforcements were rushed to the area. Jammu zone IGP Bhim Sen Tuti said the encounter took place around 8:30 am. 'The search operation is still on. The situation will become clear after the weather clears. It is a group of four terrorists. We had been monitoring these terrorists for the past year.' The IGP further said that adequate security arrangements were made for the ensuing Amarnath Yatra. 'This time around, we have got more paramilitary companies from the Centre,' he said. Tuti further informed that this year there shall be road opening parties on the Pathankot -Jammu national highway as well. The Jammu IGP also requested Amarnath pilgrims, who wish to start their Yatra from Jammu, to join only the official convoys for a safe and secure journey from Yatri Niwas base camp at Bhagwati Nagar. 'Such pilgrims should avoid independent travel,' he added. The Basantgarh encounter comes at a time when hardly a week has left for the annual Amarnath pilgrimage that begins July 3. The first batch of pilgrims from Jammu will be flagged off on July 2 for Pahalgam and Baltal-based camps. Meanwhile, security forces in Udhampur conducted a mock drill on Jammu-Srinagar national highway (NH 44) in view of the pilgrimage that has always remained a 'high value' target for the Pakistani terrorists. On April 22, Pakistani terrorists had attacked unarmed tourists in Pahalgam, leaving 26 dead and scores injured. The attack had compelled India to launch Operation Sindoor on May 6, resulting in strikes on terror camps. Consequently, India and Pakistan indulged in a conflict from May 7 to 10 before US president Donald Trump claimed he enforced a ceasefire between the two nuclear-armed countries.
