Free e-rickshaw service set up at Baltal base camp to ease Amarnath yatris' arduous journey
free e-rickshaw services to make the final leg of the arduous journey of Amarnath Yatra comfortable for the pilgrims. The e-rickshaws have been deployed to ferry pilgrims from Domail to the base camp at Baltal and vice-versa. Having walked 24 km on mountainous terrain to and fro to visit the Holy Cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas, pilgrims are usually exhausted by the end of their journey.
After reaching the access-control gates at Domail, they have to walk another five km to reach the parking area of the Baltal base camp. The battery-operated, environment-friendly e-rickshaws, deployed by NGO, come as a relief for the pilgrims in that regard. While ponies are available for the purpose, the rides are chargeable.
The e-rickshaw service, meanwhile, is free of cost. Kanpur-based Shiv Sewak Samiti is one of the service providers of the e-rickshaw rides. With the e-rickshaws, the distance, which otherwise takes about an hour, is covered in less than ten minutes.
Ajit Khokar, a yatri from Sonipat, availed the service and spoke positively about the service. «It is my first time at Amarnath. It gets very tiring coming back from the cave, but getting the e-rickshaws is very helpful,» Khokar told PTI here.
He said since the vehicle is battery-operated, it helps the environment as well. «Whosoever has started this service, I thank them from the bottom of my heart,» the yatri added. Five pilgrims are ferried in each ride and an e-rickshaw makes about 16-18 rides a day.
«This e-rickshaw service is provided from Baltal to Domail. Five people are accommodated in a vehicle in a ride. The vehicle can take around 16-18 rides in a day.
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