Amarnath Yatra: SDRF, NDRF, Police, CRPF conduct large-scale emergency drills on pilgrimage routes

With the annual Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra (SANJY)-2026 set to begin shortly, security forces, disaster response teams and civil agencies on Friday carried out a series of coordinated mock drills across the twin pilgrimage routes to assess emergency preparedness, strengthen inter-agency coordination and fine-tune rescue mechanisms for ensuring the safety of pilgrims.

The largest exercise was conducted jointly at the Nunwan Base Camp in Pahalgam and the Lidder River, where teams from the SDRF, NDRF, Mountain Rescue Teams (MRTs), Village Home Guards (VHG), Special Operations Group (SOG) of J&K Police and the CRPF simulated multiple emergency scenarios, including a terrorist attack, fire incident, IED threat, stampede, drowning and river rescue operations. Senior officers from the civil administration, police and other departments witnessed the drill.

Simultaneously, Mountain Rescue Teams carried out a major mock exercise at Bararimarg on the Baltal axis, simulating rockfall (stone shooting) and landslide situations. The exercise involved SDRF, SSB, BSF, NDRF and other rescue agencies, focusing on rapid evacuation, coordinated rescue and disaster response in the challenging mountainous terrain.

At Sheshnag and Panchtarni, SDRF and NDRF Mountain Rescue Teams conducted separate joint drills to evaluate their preparedness and coordination for handling emergencies during the pilgrimage. The exercises, held in the presence of the respective Camp Directors, included river-crossing operations and rescue techniques designed for high-altitude conditions.

Another emergency response exercise was organised at Baltal Base Camp, where the SDRF and medical teams rehearsed zip-line rescue, drowning response and river-crossing operations to test their readiness for medical and rescue contingencies.

A similar joint mock drill was also held at Railpathri, involving SDRF, SSB and the medical team of Lower Railpathri. The exercise assessed the response capabilities of participating agencies and reinforced coordination for handling any emergency during the Yatra.

Officials said the series of mock drills was aimed at evaluating the operational readiness of all agencies, improving coordination among security, rescue and medical teams, and ensuring a swift and effective response to any contingency during the forthcoming Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra-2026.