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The Union government Tuesday denied plans to restrict the number of pilgrims wanting to go for a darshan of Bhagwan Amarnath in Kashmir.
"There is no move on the part of the government to restrict the number of those who want to go for the yatra, which begins next month," Minister of State for Home Affairs I D Swami told rediff.com on Tuesday morning.
He was reacting to news reports in a Hindi daily that the government was contemplating a series of measures to ensure the safety of pilgrims.
"The Governor of Jammu and Kashmir is the head of the Amarnath trust, and he is also in-charge of the pilgrims' security. The Union home ministry, in co-ordination with the state administration, will take adequate steps to ensure their safety. Last year, many pilgrims were killed in Pahalgam, in an unfortunate militant attack," he said.
He also denied that the state administration had decided to do away with langars [community kitchens], set up to give food to pilgrims from Srinagar and Jammu, up to the cave of Amarnath. If we do this, who will feed the pilgrims," he asked.
Union Home Minister L K Advani, according to Swami, would visit Amarnath before the yatra to ensure proper security arrangements. "If directed, I am ready to go then," he said.
Minister of State for Commerce and Industries Omar Abdullah assured rediff.com that the state government and security agencies would do everything to ensure the safety of pilgrims.
"We have opened centres in Delhi, Bombay, Madras, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Calcutta and Jammu, to issue identity cards to the pilgrims," he said.
In 1996, more then 300 pilgrims were killed due to harsh weather conditions, including heavy rain. Massive landslides had also blocked the pathways of the pilgrims.
The government had then set up a committee under the chairmanship of Nitin Sengupta, to look into the causes of the tragedy and suggest remedies. The committee had suggested that not more than 75,000 pilgrims be allowed to visit the shrine in the season, lasting one and a half months.
It had suggested that keeping security requirements in mind, not more than 3,000 pilgrims be allowed to travel each day.
However, last year, thousands of pilgrims were stranded in Jammu, as they were not issued identity cards by the state administration.
A senior Jammu and Kashmir government official told rediff.com that there would be seven major centres countrywide, to issue passes.
"Delhi will look after the needs of pilgrims from the capital, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttranchal and Rajasthan. Likewise, Madras will take care of pilgrims from Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Pondicherry. Pilgrims from Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Goa will have to contact the Jammu and Kashmir tourism board counter in Bombay. Calcutta will look after West Bengal, Orissa, Bihar, Jharkhand and north-eastern states. Gujarat will be looked after by Ahmedabad. Hyderabad will issue identity cards to pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. And Jammu will take the load from Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh," he said.
He admitted that there were some problems at the Delhi centre on Tuesday morning, and the police had to resort to a cane-charge on those seeking to deposit their forms at the Jammu and Kashmir House at Chanakyapuri. "Last year, over one and half lakh pilgrims visited the shrine. This year, the number could go up," he said.
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