Nagrota, June 20 -- Around 9,000 pilgrims on Saturday departed in nearly 200 buses from Nagrota in Jammu for the annual Mata Kheer Bhawani Mela and other yatras to Tikker in Kupwara, Logripora in Anantnag, Devsar and Manzgam in Kulgam districts.

The administration has put in place elaborate security and logistical arrangements to ensure the smooth and hassle-free transit of devotees to their respective destinations.

Relief and Rehabilitation Commissioner Arvind Karwani said that multiple agencies, including the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), Jammu and Kashmir Police, and the Army, were working in coordination to ensure the safety of pilgrims throughout the journey.

"We tried to make security arrangements better than the previous y...