The Central Reserve Police Force has expanded its presence in Jammu and Kashmir, raising the number of Temporary Operating Bases from 45 to 55 as part of a counter-terror overhaul that followed the Pahalgam attack, sources told Times Now.
The new bases sit at altitudes of 8,000 to 10,000 feet and are designed to deny foreign terrorists the use of remote mountain hideouts. They will allow security forces to sustain a presence in difficult terrain, sharpen surveillance and mount round-the-clock operations along vulnerable infiltration corridors.
Times Now sources said the deployment is part of a broader security recalibration aimed at squeezing terrorists out of the higher reaches of the Valley.
For the ongoing Shri Amarnath Yatra, the CRPF has deployed 232 companies. The Directors General of all Central Armed Police Forces have also been directed to remain in Jammu and Kashmir by rotation to personally oversee pilgrimage security.
According to official figures, 2,75,618 pilgrims had visited the cave shrine till July 13. This year’s Yatra, however, has seen thinner crowds: daily registrations have stayed below 20,000 across the Pahalgam and Baltal routes, and commercial helicopter services remain suspended since the attack.
The Centre now plans to tighten the registration process. From the Yatra’s next phase, on-the-spot registration will give way to a fixed system to better regulate pilgrim movement.
Together, the measures signal a twin-track approach — intensified anti-terror operations in the Valley alongside the secure conduct of one of the country’s largest annual pilgrimages.