Ganderbal, June 4: The district administration Ganderbal has asked the Amarnath yatra service providers to get vaccinated against covid19 at an earliest.
Officials said that the district administration has asked the BDCs, Sarpanchs and health officials to ensure that all the service providers including tent owners, shopkeepers, pony operators, labourers and drivers are vaccinated.
SDM Kangan, Hakim Tanveer Ahmed told Greater Kashmir that vaccination of the service providers whether associated with travel trade or pilgrimage tourism is a routine exercise. “It is also a preparatory exercise for the annual Amarnath yatra, though there is no official announcement about its commencement so far, and the decision is to be taken by the SASB.”
The 56-day-long annual pilgrimage to the 3888-metre-high Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas was cancelled last year due to the Covid19 pandemic.
Due to a surge in Covid-19 cases and deaths across the country including J&K, the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), which manages the affairs of the pilgrimage, suspended the registration of pilgrims on April 22 which had started on April 1.
Last year, the pilgrimage was cancelled on July 21 because of the rise in Covid 19 cases.
Sources said that the SASB is likely to hold a meeting soon to decide about the yatra.