Jammu Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar and Jammu Inspector General of Police Bhim Sen Tuti flagged off the convoy from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu at 5 am and boarded one of the buses to assess the arrangements firsthand during the journey.
The annual 57-day-long yatra is scheduled to commence from the twin routes -- 48-km traditional Pahalgam route in south Kashmir Anantnag district and the shorter-but-steeper 14-km Baltal route in central Kashmir Ganderbal district –- on July 3. The first batch of pilgrims will be flagged off from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp a day earlier.
The officials said the dry run was aimed at evaluating convoy movement, security measures, logistics and coordination among various agencies.
The heavily guarded convoy reached district headquarters Ramban along the Jammu-Srinagar national highway within four hours amid suspension of civilian traffic on the only all weather road linking the valley with the rest of the country, the officials said.
The convoy halted there for some time at the Chanderkoot Yatra Langar site, where arrangements and facilities for pilgrims were reviewed.
Later, the convoy left for Banihal, the highway town connecting Jammu region with south Kashmir’s Qazigund town through a tunnel, the officials said, adding the exercise will be completed when the convoy reaches its destination of Pahalgam and Baltal base camp within the next few hours.
The traffic officials said the civilian traffic on the highway will be allowed from Qazigund only after the yatra convoy leaves the town.
