Amarnath Yatri Niwas foundation stone laid by Puri, Sinha in Jammu

Jammu: Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Tuesday jointly laid the foundation stone of an Amarnath yatri niwas and a disaster management centre here, and announced the setting up of 4-5 more yatri niwas soon.

Sinha said a financial allocation of Rs 51 crore was received from the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) for the construction of the yatri niwas as part of government-owned company’s corporate social responsibility.

“I am immensely grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri for Amarnath shrine board’s yatri niwas at Jammu. This new facility will ease the lives of devotees embarking on annual pilgrimage of Baba Amarnath,” Sinha was quoted as saying in an official statement.

Designed by School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, the yatri niwas is set for completion within 18-month time period

Sinha also said the government was trying to “scale up the facilities including lodging, transportation, medical, and better connectivity for the safe and hassle-free pilgrimage of the devotees”.

Road connectivity is also being improved which will provide smooth passage to the pilgrims, the L-G said.