Amarnath Yatra, Health fitness certificated on sale, administration sleeping Agents demand Rs 150, Rs 300

Amarnath Yatra, Health fitness certificated on sale, administration sleeping Agents demand Rs 150, Rs 300 Nitesh Sangral JAMMU, July 11: The Health Certificate of Amarnath pilgrims on sale. The pilgrims are getting health certificate at the rate of Rs 150 to Rs. 300 from different tour and travel organisations in the state. Sources said that alarmed over the mounting death toll of the Amarnath pilgrims, as 61 pilgrims, including youth, have died mostly because of cardiac arrest has further exposed the preparations of Health Department and Amarnath Shrine Board. Interestingly it was for the first time the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) had made it mandatory for the pilgrims to submit a medical certificate before undertaking the Yatra, this certificate is must for pilgrims or they are not allowed to move towards the cave. “How pilgrims are dying despite getting the health certificate. Questions also rise towards SASB and Health department and how they are managing these certificates”, said a source. Official source said that the last year 120 pilgrims had died and after these deaths the SASB had made health certificate mandatory for the pilgrims. “Medical certificates are being provided by the travel agents and this needs to be checked. There is no fool proof system by which the health of each and every pilgrim could be checked”, said a source. Sources further said that some tour and travel agents are paying hefty sum to some doctors and it has emerged as a major mafia system. Govt. Hospital Sarwal, Superintendent Dr. Arun Sharma said that a number of pilgrims visit the hospital for taking health certificate. The concerned doctors also face the problem as people demand certificate without check up. The doctors recommended the checkup must before start Yatra. Among those agree with doctors and reaming back go from the hospital. He further said that some people also help the pilgrims getting certificate with their approach, which is put risk to pilgrims’ life only for money. He appealed to pilgrims their life important for his family, please properly checkup. Meanwhile VHP today accused Shri Amarnath Shrine Board of failing to ensure adequate medical facilities to the pilgrims and demanded a high-level probe into the death of the devotees en route the 3,888-feet-high holy cave in south Kashmir Himalayas. "A high level enquiry should be conducted to find out the causes of death so that appropriate steps should be taken to avoid such happenings in future during the Amarnath yatra," JK VHP chief R K Dubey told reporters here.