Hearty greetings to all the pilgrims coming from all over the country and outside to participate in the 2023 Shri Amarnath ji Yatra, CEO SASB, Dr Mandeep Bhandari said on the preparations of the holy yatra. Shri Amarnath ji Shrine Board and Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory and the government are ready to receive them. The annual pilgrimage this year will begin from July 1, 2023 and will go on till August 31, 2023. The sixty-two days’ yatra period will be the longest yatra till date. Yatris between the age of 13 to 70 years can undertake the yatra. Before coming here, they should register for the yatra. The registration can happen through various means as prescribed by the Shri Amarnath ji Shrine Board, said the CEO SASB. Devotees can avail online services through the Amarnath Shrine Board Website. Apart from this, there are five hundred and forty two different branches of the four designated banks. You can get your registration done through any of these banks and their branches. Yatris who are unable to avail this can do on-spot registration upon coming to Jammu and Kashmir. The registration for Shri Amarnath ji yatra began on April 17, 2023. Till now, 3 lakh 4000 people have got their registration done through different mediums. For Shri Amarnath ji yatra holy cave, devotees can begin their yatra from two route options Pahalgam and Baltal. Baltal access is present in Ganderbal district. The other route, Pahalgam is in Anantnag district from where the yatra can begin. From Baltal route, devotees will trek 14.50 km. And from Pahalgam after halting at Nunwan Base Camp, they start at Chandanwadi then they will trek 32km on foot. They can take the service of pony rides too. At Baba Barfani’s holy cave, they will reach the height of 13,000 feet altitude. To make this whole journey pleasant and smooth, Shri Amarnath ji Shrine Board and the whole UT government and administration has made tremendous efforts. The track has been made better, the Baltal track has been widened and hand railings have been installed on the tracks. Those areas found vulnerable, a very important initiative and effort has been made to strengthen them so that the track and the yatra stays safe and secure. The two tracks have been illuminated so that yatris travelling at night also feel safe. Talking about health facilities, J&K government’s Health and Medical Education Department has provided 440 beds with different facilities for all base camps and beds have been provided at other medical aid centres designated on tracks. All kinds of medicines which yatris might require, oxygen cylinders manifold and all other equipment which could be needed related to high altitude sickness are made available there. To communicate to the yatris, a public address system has been installed at all the camps. OFC cables have been laid at the two camps so that internet facility and telecom facility is available all the time. Our rural development department, municipal corporation, development authorities and everyone took a joint initiative. Close to one hundred and fifty toilets were installed at different locations on the tracks at base camps. For environmental protection we will appeal to the yatris to use dustbins and not to litter the mountains. The sanitary workers will collect the garbage and bring it to base camps and their disposal will be undertaken in the proper way, said CEO SASB, Dr Mandeep Bhandari on the preparations for the 2023 Shri Amarnath ji Shrine Yatra.