JAMMU, Jun 23: A mock drill involving multiple security and disaster response agencies was conducted at the Bhagwati Nagar base camp here on Tuesday as part of preparations for the upcoming Amarnath Yatra, officials said.
The 57-day-long Amarnath Yatra is scheduled to commence on July 3.
The exercise at the sprawling complex commenced at 8 am, witnessing the participation of the National Security Guard (NSG), Special Operations Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir Police, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the officials said.
The Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas here serves as the main base camp for the pilgrims coming from across the country before leaving for Kashmir to pay their obeisance at the 3,880 metre high shrine, housing the naturally formed ice- Shiva lingam.
The first batch of pilgrims will be flagged off from the base camp a day before the start of the yatra along the twin tracks — the traditional 48-km Pahalgam route in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district and the 14-km shorter but steeper Baltal route in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district.
The officials said the mock drill simulated various emergency scenarios to test the preparedness, coordination, and response capabilities of the participating agencies.
Advanced surveillance equipment, including drones, was deployed during the exercise, while dog squads were used for anti-sabotage and area sanitisation checks, they said.
The officials said the mock drill was aimed at strengthening security arrangements and ensuring swift response mechanisms ahead of the annual pilgrimage.
The exercise focused on inter-agency coordination, crowd management, emergency evacuation procedures, and counter-terror response measures, they said.
