Registration for Amarnath Yatra begins from Tuesday

Jammu: The registration for the annual Amarnath Yatra through Baltal and Chandanwari routes began on Tuesday, officials said.

Nobody will be allowed to undertake the yatra without securing a permit which is valid for a specified day and route, they added.

The registration of pilgrims is being undertaken through 440 designated branches of the Punjab National Bank, the Jammu and Kashmir Bank and the YES Bank, located in 32 states and Union Territories.

The 46-day-long yatra will begin on July 1, the day of Masik Shivratri, and would conclude on August 15, the day of Shravan Purnima.

In addition to the existing ways of registration, the board has approved a proposal for online registration of a limited number of intending pilgrims each day on a pilot basis, the officials said.

The website will contain an application form and state-wise list of bank branches which the people can visit for registration.

The pilgrims will have to furnish a Compulsory Health Certificate (CHC) while registering.

A state-wise list of doctors and medical institutes authorised to issue CHCs has been put on the website of the shrine board to ensure authenticity.

Children under the age of 13 years or elderly above 75 years of age and women who are more than six weeks pregnant will not be registered for the yatra, the officials said.

Those who plan to travel by helicopter do not require advance registration as their chopper ticket shall suffice for this purpose.

However, they will have to produce the CHC in the prescribed format before they are allowed to travel, he added. (PTI)