Balloons, drones prohibited as J-K declares all routes to Amarnath shrine a no-fly zone during yatra period
The Jammu and Kashmir government has declared all routes to the Amarnath cave shrine a 'no flying zone', banning 'any kind of aviation platforms' including drones and balloons for the duration of the yatra.
The decision comes on the back of advice from the Union Home Ministry.
'With a view to ensure strengthened security during the Shri Amarnathji Yatra, 2025, all the routes of Shri Amarnathji Yatra are hereby declared as No Flying Zone, including both Pahalgam axis and Baltal axis,' an order issued by J&K's home department said. 'Thus, flying of any kind of aviation platforms and devices, including UAVs, drones, balloons, etc., is prohibited w.e.f. July 1, 2025 to August 10, 2025,' the order said.
The annual Amarnath pilgrimage starts on July 3 this year and will end on August 8. Securing the yatra is considered one of the Valley's biggest security exercises.
Every year, lakhs of pilgrims from across the country make the journey to the Himalayan cave shrine, which is accessible via the popular tourist destinations of Pahalgam and Sonmarg.
The decision to declare the routes, Lakhanpur-Jammu-Qazigund-Pahalgam and Lakhanpur-Jammu-Qazigund-Srinagar-Sonamarg, no-fly zones has been taken because of the 'prevailing security scenario' in the Valley, especially after the Pahalgam terror attack in which 25 tourists and a local man were killed in April this year.
'Whereas, all the stakeholders have discussed the prevailing security scenario in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir and have proposed additional logistics provisions and whereas, the Ministry of Home Affairs, Gol, have also advised that the entire route of Shri Amarnathji Yatra, 2025, may be declared as 'No Flying Zone' w.e.f. July 1 to August 10, 2025,' the order read.
The order, however, said the no-fly zone would not apply in case of emergencies. 'These restrictions will not be applicable in the cases of medical evacuation, disaster management and for surveillance by security forces,' the order read. 'A detailed SOP for such exceptions will be issued subsequently.'
Bashaarat Masood is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express. He has been covering Jammu and Kashmir, especially the conflict-ridden Kashmir valley, for two decades. Bashaarat joined The Indian Express after completing his Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University in Kashmir. He has been writing on politics, conflict and development. Bashaarat was awarded with the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2012 for his stories on the Pathribal fake encounter. ... Read More
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