Vehicles ferrying Amarnath pilgrims to get radio-frequency tags; joint control room for security forces to come up

New Delhi: Amid heightened threat from terrorists, the government has decided to monitor each vehicle carrying Amarnath pilgrims with radio frequency (RF) tag and it will set up a joint control room for close coordination among different security agencies besides the army, officials said on Monday. The government has also decided to extend the validity of temporary pre-paid mobile connections taken by pilgrims during the Amarnath pilgrimage, beginning 28 June, from seven days to 10 days. [caption id=“attachment_4453783” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. PTI[/caption] All vehicles carrying the Amarnath pilgrims will have one RF tag for its close monitoring for better security, an official said. RF tag uses electromagnetic fields to automatically identify and track object attached to it. An RF tag attached to an automobile can be used to track its progress. A joint control room will be set up for better coordination between Jammu and Kashmir Police, paramilitary forces and the army to ensure security during the two-month-long pilgrimage to the cave shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva in the Himalayas in Jammu and Kashmir, the official said. Additional 22,500 paramilitary personnel are expected to be deployed along the entire route of the Amarnath pilgrimage, for which multi-tier security arrangements will be put in place. A total of around 40,000 personnel, comprising J-K Police, paramilitary, National Disaster Response Force and the army, are likely to be deployed during this year’s pilgrimage. Tracking of pilgrims’ movement through satellites, installation of jammers, CCTV cameras and bulletproof bunkers, deployment of dog squads and quick reaction teams will be part of the security drill along pilgrimage routes, another official said. Doppler radar, which will provide weather update every two hours, will be deployed for the benefits of pilgrims besides deployment of the quick reaction teams of the NDRF. According to the estimates of various security agencies, there are about 200 active terrorists in the Kashmir valley and recent trends show that terrorists are getting more brazen in their attacks. So far, 1.5 lakh people have registered for undertaking the arduous pilgrimage. A total of 2.60 lakh pilgrims offered prayers at the shrine last year. The Amarnath shrine is situated in a narrow gorge at the farther end of Lidder Valley in south Kashmir.