Gujarat Government Wants Amarnath Pilgrims To Wear Bullet Proof Jackets; Too Costly Say Tour Operators 

It’s tough time ahead for pilgrims from Gujarat taking the Amarnath Yatra this year. Last year, a bus carrying pilgrims from Gujarat to Amarnath was attacked by militants, leaving eight killed and 18 injured.

But it seems the state government is only adding to their misery by instructing them to wear bullet proof jackets this time. As per a report by The Times of India, the Gujarat government has issued a new guideline that requires pilgrims travelling by bus to wear bullet proof jackets. Such a jacket costs Rs 12,000 and this is an extra expense the pilgrims would have to bear.

While the state transport commissioner R M Jadhav told the newspaper that the guideline, which has come from the state home department, is merely an advice, tour operators are not convinced. They say that if the guideline is not followed, the government wouldn't give them permit to operate.

They fear that many pilgrims may not be able to afford the jacket and could cancel the tour. The yatra by bus costs about Rs 10,000 per person.

Hari Patel, chairman of Akhil Gujarat Tourist Vehicle Operators Federation, expressed dissatisfaction with the directive because it's only applicable to bus yatris and not to those travelling by train or flight.

Around 5,000-7,000 pilgrims register for the yatra from Gujarat every year while the number of unregistered yatris is nearly 35,000, the report said.

The attack on 10 July 2017 was carried out by Pakistan-based Islamic terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba.

A wary Gujarat government has also issued other guidelines to ensure pilgrims’ safety. These include mandatory registration of tour operators from the Amarnath Shrine Board in advance. They will have to provide the details of the bus, permit number, names of passengers and their addresses along with cellphone numbers of their relatives. There is also a cap on the age of bus and the driver.