Jammu and Kashmir Governor N.N. Vohra, who is also the chairman of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) that conducts the annual pilgrimage to the cave shrine, Monday reviewed the sanitation arrangements along the routes taken by devotees.
So far, nearly 500,000 pilgrims have visited the cave shrine. The pilgrimage began on June 25 and would conclude Aug 2.
The governor said that after the culmination of this year’s yatra, a sanitation drive would be launched to rid the camp sites and the tracks of garbage.
According to a SASB spokesman, the governor directed that a special sanitation drive should be launched by the Pahalgam and Sonamarg development authorities.
Vohra also told the board officials to intensify the cleanliness and sanitation measures within the camps and on the Baltal-Brarimarg-Sangam track.
The governor discussed with Tourism Minister Nawang Rigzin Jora the need for identifying measures for protection of environment and ecology of the yatra area.
The cave shrine is situated at the altitude of 3,888 metres in the Pir Panjal range. There are two routes to approach the shrine, one from Pahalgam and another from Baltal.
An ice lingam or a naturally formed stalagmite of snow considered as an icon of Lord Shiva, Hindu god of destruction, is the main attraction of the cave shrine.