Jammu, June 18 -- With barely a fortnight left for the commencement of the 57-day annual Amarnath pilgrimage to the South Kashmir Himalayas, the decks have been cleared for the trek of faith. Following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 last year that left 26 tourists and a local guide dead at the Baisaran meadow, this time around the ministry of home affairs has deployed 670 companies of paramilitary forces. The deployment of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel and Jammu and Kashmir Police has started along the Pathankot-Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH44) and at various transit camps. Around 3.65 lakh pilgrims have registered themselves so far for this year's pilgrimage. Ramban-based Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) commandant N Ranbir Singh said: "The 84 Battalion has been deployed for road security from milestone 117km to 164km on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway. The stretch of around 34 km between Nashri to Digdol has a hilly terrain where several roads are also being constructed. Since we are into road-opening duties also, we have to secure the highway for this year's Amarnath pilgrimage as well." He said additional forces were being deployed for the yatra. "Vantage points, including ridges and high-rise structures, will be covered. All measures in the form of maximum manpower, road-opening parties, QRTs (quick response teams), dog squads, drones, automatic weapons, CCTV cameras, and counter-IED teams will be utilised tactically," he said. Hoping this year's pilgrimage to be incident-free, the CRPF commandant said that the Jammu-Srinagar highway will remain under constant surveillance by security forces. "NH44 can't be left unattended during the Yatra. Therefore, all SOPs will be followed in letter and spirit from dawn to dusk and even during the night. There will be the highest level of alertness. Every 3 to 4 km, QRT teams of the CRPF will be stationed," he said. "During the day, the convoys of the pilgrims will be accorded top priority, ferrying them safely to Pahalgam and Baltal and vice-versa," he added. "Our counter-IED squads will do anti-sabotage checks and will be on their toes through the 57-day yatra. Similarly, drones will hover over hills and high-rise structures. Some contingency plans, which cannot be discussed in the public domain, will also be put in place to meet any eventuality," Singh said. Pakistani terrorists have in the past attacked pilgrim convoys from vantage points on the ridges. "The vantage points on hills on either side of the highway will also be included in our domination plan," said Singh. Apart from the CRPF, paramilitary forces, such as the CISF, SSB, and BSF, besides the J&K Police, will also be deployed for the pilgrimage, he said, adding the army will provide prophylactic (preventive) security to the pilgrimage. The J&K administration led by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has declared all routes of the Amarnath Yatra as a "no flying zone" from July 1....