SRINAGAR: Governor N.N. Vohra, Chairman of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board, alongwith Shri Umang Narula, C.E.O and Shri Jitendra Kumar, Addl. CEO of the Shrine Board, viewed the progress of the Yatra through the live video images of the movement of Yatris across the Access Control Gates at Domel and Chandanwari. This viewing was done in the Yatra Control Room set up at Raj Bhavan, Srinagar. CEO informed the Governor that 7,486 Yatris had left from the Baltal route and 5,091 from the Pahalgam route for the Holy Cave.
Today, on the 5th day of the Yatra 15,813 Yatris paid obeisance at the Holy Cave and, cumulatively, since the beginning of the pilgrimage, 62,608 Yatris have had the darshan at the Holy Cave.
Governor chaired another meeting today to review the functioning of the Sewage Treatment Plants at Nunwan and Baltal Base Camps and gave directions to Shri Narula, CEO to take time- bound action for further improvements being made in the functioning of the two STPs, based on the presentation made today by Sh. Sanjeev Gupta, Managing Director, Sophisticated Industrial Material Analystic Lab Pvt. Ltd. and his team where Sh. Jitendra Kumar Singh, Additional CEO of the Board and Sh. R.K. Pandita, GM (Works) were also present.
At the aforesaid Presentation Chairman was apprised about the designs and latest technologies available for further augmenting the Sewage Treatment capabilities of the existing STPs at the Base Camps of Nunwan and the Baltal.
The Governor directed CEO, SASB, to urgently examine the suitability of the suggested technology in the conditions obtaining in the Yatra Base Camps and have DPRs prepared for upgrading both the STPs immediately after the close of the Yatra.
Relevent to recall that the Shrine Board had upgraded both the STPs, at Base Camps Baltal and Nunwan, during 2013 as per the advice and design which was engendered by the Centre for Science and Environment New Delhi. These STPs were further upgraded in 2014 by establishing Reed Beds at Nunwan Camp STP and the STP at Baltal was improved by connecting all baths and toilet blocks with Anaerobic Baffled Reactor (ABR) and constructing Deep–Well Tight Soakage Pits after ABR. Briefly, the Board’s effort is to keep in tune with the latest available technologies for Sewage treatment, keeping in view the average load factor generated by this 5-6 week pilgrimage.
