Jammu, July 1 -- The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Tuesday said elaborate arrangements, including enhanced security and accommodation for around 55,000 pilgrims, have been put in place for the annual Amarnath Yatra, with the first batch of devotees scheduled to be flagged off from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp here on July 2.

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, who is also the chairman of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), will flag off the first convoy at 4 am, officials said.

The 57-day pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre-high Amarnath cave shrine will commence on July 3 simultaneously from the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the shorter but steeper 14-km Baltal route in Ganderbal district.

"As of now...