NEW DELHI: Security forces conducted a comprehensive joint mock drill on Monday at Yatri Niwas, the base camp for the Amarnath Yatra in J&K, as a preemptive measure to ensure safety during the upcoming Amarnath Yatra. Buses were sent under full security cover to test preparedness.The first batch of pilgrims will be flagged off from the Jammu base camp on July 2. The Yatra will formally begin on July 3 via both the Baltal and Pahalgam routes.Speaking to reporters, Deputy Commissioner of Jammu, Sachin Kumar Vaishy, said all preparations for the Yatra have been completed. “Today, tokens will be distributed at Saraswati Dham. We appeal to people to come in large numbers; we will provide them with all the necessary facilities, and no one will face any issues. We have full preparations for everything,” he said.The exercise aimed to assess emergency preparedness in the event of landslides or other natural disasters during the pilgrimage and to ensure a prompt response in case of any unfortunate incident. The simulation involved rescuing stranded vehicles and providing immediate aid to injured pilgrims, with security and disaster response teams efficiently coordinating evacuation and medical assistance.Earlier, on Sunday, a joint mock landslide drill was conducted by the Indian Army, CRPF, J&K Police, and the Jammu and Kashmir State Disaster Response Force (JKSDRF) in parts of Samroli and Toldi Nallah along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, one of the critical routes for the Yatra.The CRPF has intensified surveillance by deploying K-9 (dog) squads alongside its personnel on key routes used by thousands of pilgrims and has strengthened highway patrols, with special focus on sensitive stretches such as the Udhampur sector.Meanwhile, Director General of Police (J&K) Nalin Prabhat held a joint security review meeting in Udhampur on Saturday ahead of the Yatra, which will continue until August 9. The meeting was convened to review preparations and enhance coordination among all agencies involved in ensuring the safety of pilgrims.Addressing the meeting, the DGP emphasised the need for officers to maintain very close coordination, describing it as crucial to ensuring an incident-free Yatra. He directed that zonal and sectoral officers must have up-to-date information about the availability and location of special teams such as Drone Units, Bomb Disposal Squads, Dog Squads and Quick Response Teams (QRTs), to ensure these teams can be deployed in real time in case of any emergency.
