Home secretary flies to J&K to review security

Amid intelligence inputs of increased threat perception to the Amarnath yatra, Union home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi left for Srinagar on Wednesday to personally monitor arrangements. According to sources, the home secretary will chair a high-level review meeting with all concerned agencies to discuss in detail the plan before the yatra, which begins on June 29. Mr Mehrishsi is

and at three-day trek (34km) from Chandanwari. Pahalgam, the premier resort of the Valley, is 94km south-east of Srinagar and 280-km east of Jammu.

In view of the security situation in the Valley, a multi-layered security also expected to visit the cave shrine on Thursday.

The Union home ministry has also decided to personally monitor all security arrangements rather than leaving it to the state government or Srinagar-based Unified Command. The home secretary’s visit to Srinagar is also part of the exercise, sources said.

Officials claimed that the Centre has already deployed close to 22,000 Central paramilitary personnel to provide foolproof security cover.

arrangement manned by the Army, CRPF, SSB and the Jammu and Kashmir police has been provided for the safe passage of the pilgrims right from their entry into the State at Lakhanpur in Kathua district to Amarnath and back, the officials said.