Annual Amarnath Yatra registration to begin from April 1

Registration for the upcoming annual pilgrimage to the Himalayan cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir is going to start from April 1, an official said on Saturday. The 56-day yatra to the 3,880-metre-high shrine is scheduled to start from the twin routes of Pahalgam and Baltal on June 28 and culminate on August 22.

In a meeting earlier this month, officials had said that all COVID-19 protocols are in place and standard operating procedures issued by the government will be followed.

"The registration will start from April 1 for both the routes through 446 designated bank branches of the Punjab National Bank (316), the Jammu and Kashmir Bank (90) and the YES Bank (40), all over the country," Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Sri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) Nitishwar Kumar said.

He said



that details about the procedure for registration, application form and state-wise list of bank branches with complete addresses are available on the board's website.

The CEO said that only health certificates that are issued by doctors or medical institutes authorised by state governments or union territory administrations will be accepted at the registered bank branches.

The certificates are mandatory as the shrine is at a very high-altitude and the journey is arduous.

"For the Yatra-2021, only those health certificates which have been issued after March 15 shall be valid. The steps which yatris (pilgrims) need to follow in order to register for the yatra (pilgrimage), have been put on the board's website www.shriamarnathjishrine.com," Kumar said.