Amarnath pilgrims can get registered through post offices

He said the facility will be in addition to the 174 Bank Branches and via the Internet based e-Registration System already announced by the Shrine Board.

Until last year,the registration was done only through Jammu and Kashmir Bank and YES Bank.

Choudhary said SASB had requested the Department of Posts to do the registration of the Yatris across the country,especially in Punjab,Haryana,Maharashtra,Gujarat,Madhya Pradesh,Bihar and UP.

Chief Postmaster General John Samuel said the Department of Posts has a large network of 1.55 lakh post offices across the country and given the vast infrastructure,the post office is in a position to provide various services to the customers.

As a part of registration process,the Yatris will submit the application form along with the prescribed medical certificate,he said.

The Chief Postmaster General also announced that four Yatri Post Offices would be established along the Yatra route for the benefit of the pilgrims.

“These Yatri Post Offices will provide basic postal services,including letter post,Registered post and Speed post facilities for the benefit of the Yatris,” he said adding for more than 20 years these Yatri post offices have been non-functional.

A special postal cover and Picture Post Cards will be brought out and they will be available at Yatri Post Offices,he said adding these will be important souvenir for the Yatris who are undertaking the pilgrimage,this year.

Choudhary conducted the four day intensive tour of base camps on the instructions of governor N N Vohra,who is also chairman of the SASB,and took stock of snow accumulation and condition of the infrastructure.

While the roads leading to Baltal base camp in Gandernbal district and Chandanwari-Pahalgam in Anantang district have been restored,the heavy snowfall during winter has damaged the pre-fabricat3ed structures enroute to the cave shrine,housing the naturally formed ice-shivlingam,an official spokesman said.

He said the the snow is more than 20 to 25 feet at the Baltal Base Camp,where the Police Camp has been completed wiped out and there is massive damage to other pre-fabricated structures.