38 specially trained rescue teams to guard Amarnath Yatris

Srinagar: Thirty-eight Mountain Rescue Teams of the Jammu and Kashmir Police, SDRF, NDRF, BSF and the CRPF will be deployed for the Amarnath Yatra, officials said on Monday, as a senior police officer briefed them on their specific duties and emphasised the importance of ensuring the pilgrims' safety.
The 52-day pilgrimage to the holy cave shrine of Amarnath, located at a height of 3,880 metres, will commence from the twin tracks -- the traditional 48-kilometre Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag and the 14-kilometre shorter but steeper Baltal route in Ganderbal -- on June 29.
More than 4.5 lakh pilgrims paid their obeisance at the natural ice Shiva Lingam formation inside the cave shrine last year.
Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Vijay Kumar on Monday conducted a comprehensive review meeting with the Mountain Rescue Teams (MRTs) of the police, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Border Security Force (BSF) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), an official said.
He said the MRTs -- consisting of 13 teams from the police, 11 from the SDRF, eight from the NDRF, four from the BSF and two from the CRPF -- will be deployed at critical spots on the twin routes for the pilgrims' safety.PTI