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Amarnath Yatra begins
at ID card counter!

Many pilgrims planning to go on the Amarnath Yatra are facing problems getting identity cards, though officials of the Jammu and Kashmir government claim that everything is fine.

Delhi Shiv Sena chief Jai Bhagwan Goyal alleged large-scale irregularities were being committed at the Jammu and Kashmir tourism board counter at Chankayapuri. "Only a favourite few are being given I-D cards by government officials," he told rediff.com.

He criticised the Centre and state government for restricting the number of pilgrims to 30,000 from Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttranchal and Haryana.

"Thirty thousand people will be ready to attend the yatra from Delhi itself. I want to aske Union Home Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani why the government was fixing a quota for the pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave. We live in India and the shrine of Amarnath is also in India. Then why should the government of Jammu and Kashmir issue visas to visit the temple? We live in Hindustan and here Hindus have to seek permission to have a darshan of Bholenath," he said.

Rajesh Gupta, who had come from Bharatpur in Rajasthan, was one of those waiting in the sun to submit his forms at the Jammu and Kashmir House at Chanakyapuri. He said, "For two days, I have been coming at seven in the morning, but by the time my turn comes, they tell me that the quota for the day is over and I should return the next day.''

He alleged that policemen on duty have been carrying bundles of forms with them. The policemen, he added, hand over the forms to the officials inside and collect ID cards in the evening."

Ishwar Dayal, from Muzzafarnagar in Uttar Pradesh, has been camping in Delhi for five days.

"If my sister had not been a resident of Delhi, I would have returned by now. Everyday, it is the same story. 'Come back tomorrow'. First we have to deposit the form. Then a medical certificate and then return to collect our ID cards. Last year, the situation was much better. This time, it is beyond control," he said.

Those running community kitchens [langars] for pilgrims through the one-and-a-half-month yatra also have complaints.

One of them, who runs a community kitchen at the Panchtagragni base camp for the Him Shivling cave said, "We need permission well in advance, to set up our camps there. We spend our own money. The state and Centre do not render any help. Yet, we are treated as if we could carry criminal elements with us, to run our kitchens.''

''We, at one stage, heard that this year there would be no community kitchens. If that is the attitude, then god help the yatris, who will be left to the mercy of shopkeepers who sell a bottle of water for Rs 40. A cup of tea on high altitudes costs you more than Rs 20. You can imagine what happens when you ask for a cold drink," he added.

Sonam Dorjee, a state government official, denied irregularities in the distribution of ID cards. "We are doing our job with complete honesty. There are some people who have a vested interest in cornering majority of the permission forms. This includes bus owners, who charge pilgrims extra for the ID cards.''

He added that they had distributed more then a lakh forms, explaining, ''We have a fixed quota for Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Uttranchal, Rajasthan and Haryana. We cannot accommodate all. It is on a first come, first serve basis. There are many who stand in the queue every day. They have already taken ID cards, but are still clamouring for more."

He also said that the state government provides medical facilities for the yatris on the entire route, from Srinagar to Amarnath. "The medical facilities are needed more on the 32-km stretch, between Panchtagragni and the cave. As the yatris climb up, oxygen becomes scare and many have breathing problems. That is why we insist on a medical certificate," he said.

But the top priority remains security arrangements for the pilgrims. "Last year, we had a terrorist-related incident. We got to ensure foolproof security to the pilgrims," said a top official of the state government.

The counter for providing ID cards to pilgrims will remain open till June 25, he added.

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