Chief Executive Officer of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) Anshul Garg on Saturday reviewed security and operational preparedness to cope with the summer rush at the cave shrine.

With the onset of summer holidays in many states across the country, the SMVDSB is anticipating a huge rush of devotees at the holy shrine over the next couple of months and as such is gearing up with the foolproof measures to ensure the best pilgrimage experience to the visiting devotees.

Against this backdrop, to have a comprehensive review of security and operational preparedness of the shrine, Anshul Garg held a meeting with security agencies at the Spiritual Growth Centre, Katra.

The meeting was attended by SSP, Reasi; SP, Katra; Commandant, CRPF;  Jt. Chief Executive Officers, SMVDSB; Sub Divisional Magistrate, Bhawan and Katra; Dy. Director, Subsidiary IB; Asstt. Chief Executive Officers, SMVDSB; Asstt. Director, Fire & Emergency Services; SDPO Katra and Bhawan and other officers from IB, CID, Army, SMVDSB and intelligence agencies.

The Chief Executive Officer underscored that as summer holidays are approaching and the shrine being a tourist destination is expecting heavy influx of devotees besides at the base camp Katra, there is a need for action on diverse fronts for hassle free pilgrimage during coming days including issuance and verification of RFID cards, effective crowd management, augmentation of holding areas on the track and in Katra town, working out plans for decongestion of the entire track, particularly the Bhawan area, separation of entry, exit routes at Bhawan and all time surveillance through dedicated CCTV network of over 700 cameras.

He further said that all agencies deployed at the entry points should remain more vigilant so that no yatri without frisking and registration enters the track for pilgrimage.

In addition, the chief executive officer also reviewed in detail various components of the Disaster Management measures including fire fighting preparedness to ensure quick and most effective response from all stakeholders in wake of any emergent situation. Besides, he directed for regular announcements for decongestion of crowd on the track.

SSP, Reasi, highlighted major challenges for the security forces in coming days for managing the expected influx of pilgrims. He briefed that ample deployment of forces is already in place and beat system is prevailing at Bhawan in coordination with SMVDSB and other security agencies to ensure fool-proof security and effective Yatra management, besides multi-tier security grid comprising police, CRPF and other paramilitary forces.