Jammu, May 7 (PTI) Nearly two dozen locations have been designated for accommodation of Amarnath Yatra pilgrims in Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir, an official spokesman said on Saturday.

Deputy Commissioner, Samba, Anuradha Gupta conducted a day-long tour of the 22 places identified and designated for the accommodation of the pilgrims, he said.

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The 43-day yatra to the 3,880-metre high holy cave shrine of Amarnath is scheduled to start on June 30 from the twin routes -- traditional 48-km Nunwan in south Kashmir's Pahalgam and 14-km shorter Baltal in central Kashmir's Ganderbal.

The spokesman said Gupta visited all the locations identified for lodging and refreshment of yatris in the district and directed the officers to take adequate measures in advance for smooth conduct of the yatra and complete the ongoing works.

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The locations identified include government schools, college buildings, Nonath Ashram, temple premises at Ghagwal, Vijaypur, Barian, besides other places, the spokesman said, adding Gupta inspected the availability of basic amenities for the pilgrims.

She directed for augmentation of infrastructure to cater to the huge rush of yatris expected this year for the pilgrimage being held after two years due to the Covid pandemic.

The deputy commissioner issued directions to the nodal officers to take stock of the facilities including accommodation, drinking water, electricity, and sanitation for the yatris and ensure that the tasks assigned to them are completed within the stipulated time frame, the spokesman said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)