Surat: The Yatra to the revered shrine of Amarnath is scheduled to commence on June 29 and will extend until August 19. Pilgrims intending to undertake the Amarnath Yatra are required to possess a fitness certificate. The process of obtaining this certificate commenced today at the New Civil Hospital in Surat, drawing a significant crowd to the old trauma center at the hospital.

Registration for the Amarnath Yatra will open on Monday, April 15th, coinciding with the commencement of registration for the Chardham Yatra. Notably, a medical fitness certificate is mandatory for the Amarnath Yatra in adherence to government guidelines.

The process of obtaining a medical certificate at the new civil hospital began today, with the timing set from 9 am to 12 pm on the ground floor of the old trauma center. Today marks the first day of this operation, attracting a substantial number of people seeking the fitness certificate as tomorrow is Sunday. However, operations will resume as usual from Monday to Friday

To streamline the process and mitigate long queues, a token system has been introduced at the new civil hospital, with 500 tokens being distributed daily. It is noteworthy that thousands of devotees from South Gujarat, including Surat, undertake the journey to Amarnath for darshan on every occasion.

Notably, children below 13 years of age, senior citizens above 75 years of age, pregnant women, and heart patients who have undergone bypass surgery or stenting will not be issued a medical fitness certificate. Travelers are required to bring 4 passport-size photographs, Aadhaar card, PAN card, voter ID card, any one photo ID, and two copies of the health certificate form. This year, owing to the Lok Sabha elections, the duration of the travel period has been reduced to 45 days from the usual 60 days. DeshGujarat