J&K Governor N.N. Vohra, also chairman of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday held elaborate discussions in Srinagar on the security scenario in the run-up to the Amarnath yatra, starting from June 28.
A Raj Bhavan spokesman said Mr. Vohra and Ms. Sitharaman, who arrived in Srinagar in the morning, discussed the need “for a secure environment to enable a smooth yatra and encourage maximum tourist arrivals.”
The Defence Minister, who undertook an aerial survey of the yatra route along the Pahalgam axis and inspected the arrangements at Baltal in the forenoon, directed the security forces “to constantly review and identify any gap in the arrangements and ensure swift and targeted counter-terror responses on the ground.”
Ms. Sitharaman also interacted with the Chief of the Army Staff, General Bipin Rawat; B.B. Vyas and K. Vijay Kumar, advisers to the Governor; Chief Secretary B.V.R. Subrahmanyam and other senior police and army officials.
“An update on the latest security scenario in the Kashmir Valley, including details of counter-infiltration and counter-terrorist operations undertaken in the recent past, were deliberated,” said an Army spokesman.
A mock drill of disaster management was conducted on Monday at the base camp Nunwan Pahalgam.
