Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir government will introduce a helicopter service for Amarnath pilgrims this year and plans to involve locals in a big way to make the month-long annual pilgrimage a smooth affair.

The state's aviation department would operate a helicopter service for pilgrims from Srinagar to the holy cave shrine of Amarnath in South Kashmir, officials said.

This was decided at a high-level meeting of the Amarnath Shrine Board, headed by Governor G C Saxena, and attended among others by Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and his deputy Mangat Ram Sharma.

The introduction of the helicopter service will serve two purposes - to attract more pilgrims and to send a loud and clear message to tourists to visit Kashmir, known as the "paradise on Earth", officials said.

The meeting reviewed arrangements for the yatra which will commence on July 12 this year and conclude on Raksha Bandhan on August 12, they said.

Stressing the need for greater co-ordination between all agencies for smooth conduct of the pilgrimage, Saxena said the pilgrimage had the potential to contribute Rs 70- 80 crore to the state's economy annually.

Forty per cent of the Amarnath pilgrim traffic gets dispersed to various tourist places in the valley and this trend needed to be promoted further, he said.

PTI