Free E-rickshaw Service Set Up at Baltal Base Camp to Ease Amarnath Yatris’ Arduous Journey

A Kanpur-based NGO has provided free electronic rickshaw services to make the last leg of the arduous Amarnath Yatra trek comfortable for the pilgrims.

Electronic trolleys have been deployed to transport the pilgrims from Dumaile to the base camp in Paltal and vice versa.

After walking 24 kilometers over mountainous terrain back and forth to visit a sacred cave shrine in southern Kashmir in the 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 kilometers to reach the parking area at Baltal Base Camp.

Battery-powered and environmentally friendly electronic buggies, which are being deployed by a non-governmental organization, come to the pilgrims’ relief in this regard.

While ponies are available for this purpose, rides are for a fee. Meanwhile, the e-cart service is free of charge.

Shiv Sewak Samiti which is based in Kanpur is one of the service providers of e-rickshaw rides.

With e-rickshaws, the distance, which takes about an hour, is covered in less than ten minutes.

Ajit Khokar, a yatri from Sonipat, took advantage of the service and spoke positively about the service.

“It’s my first time in Amarnath. Coming back from the cave is very tiring, but getting the e-rickshaws is very useful,” Khokar told PTI here.

He said since the car is battery powered, it also helps the environment. “Whoever started this service, I thank them from the bottom of my heart,” Al-Yatari added.

Five pilgrims are transported per trip, and the electronic rickshaw makes about 16-18 trips per day. “This e-rickshaw service is provided from Paltal to Dumail. Five people are accommodated in a car for a trip. A car can take around 16-18 rides per day. These are completely free services being offered,” said Hrithik Kushwaha, an e-rickshaw driver hailing from Kanpur. for pilgrims on both sides.

“I am very grateful for this service because it is very good for the pilgrims. When we come back after the holy pilgrimage at the cave shrine, we feel very tired. It is a good thing that there is a free five-kilometer rickshaw service,” said Anil, another Sonipat resident.

“The environment is also taken care of very well because any other vehicle would have caused a lot of pollution,” he said.

In the same vein, another Yatri Pradeep from Haryana said, pilgrims get blisters on their feet by walking a long distance on foot.

“Because we are very tired after returning from the cave and we have been traveling on foot for about four to five kilometers. We even used to have blisters on our feet. But now we get free electronic rickshaw services, so our problem is solved.”

Sandeep Agarwal, the e-rickshaw service manager here, said the services started last year as a test case. After their success, the number of e-rickshaws was increased.

“This is an environmentally friendly service. Yatris is granted free rides from Baltal to Domail and vice versa. Agarwal said that this service is provided 24 hours a day.

The shrine board provided space for a service provider’s charging stop point near the access control gate at Domail.

(This story was not edited by the News18 staff and was published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)