The Telecommunication department has erected special towers at various places en-route the 3,880 metre high cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas to provide mobile connectivity to the pilgrims undertaking yatra, scheduled to commence later this month.
"Special towers have been set up by telecommunication department at Baltal, Domel, Brarimarg, Holy Cave, Panjtarni, Sheshnag and Chandanwari along the twin tracks to the shrine to ensure that telecom connectivity is available to the pilgrims," Chief Executive Officer of Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board N K Choudhary said here.
As the pre-paid mobile connections obtained outside Jammu and Kashmir do not function in the state, the telecom department has granted permission to cellular operators, including BSNL, to provide sim cards to the interested pilgrims with a validity of only four days.
"This arrangement has materialised after the Chairman of the Board and Governor N N Vohra had taken up the matter with the Union Communication Ministry," Choudhary said.
Such sim cards will be made available only to the registered pilgrims at special counters being set up at the Nunwan and Baltal Yatra Base Camps, he said.
All pilgrims who are interested in obtaining the pre-paid connection must produce the counterfoil of the Yatra registration slip as well as proof of identity, address and UID card at the special counters, Choudhary said.
