The Jammu and Kashmir governor Saturday ruled out any reduction in the duration of the Amarnath cave shrine pilgrimage, joining issue with Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.

Governor Lt. Gen. (Retd) S.K. Sinha told reporters in Jammu on the sidelines of a college function: "It is my decision to commence the Amarnath pilgrimage from June 21. There is no change in the date."

He also said the time during which the annual pilgrimage would be thrown open to devotees would not be reduced from two months to one month.

The cave shrine of Hindu god Lord Shiva is located at the height of 13,500 feet in south Kashmir.

Sinha, who is also chairman of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board that manages the affairs of the shrine and conducts the pilgrimage, said: "All the security aspects have been taken care of.

"The army and other agencies in their meeting have said that they would be making the track clear and secure by June 15."

He was replying to a question on the observations of Chief Minister Sayeed at a press conference in New Delhi that the pilgrimage could not be extended beyond one month because of security risks.

Sayeed had stated that the security of the pilgrims was the responsibility of the state government and it would have to fulfil its responsibility.

The cave shrine is accessible through a 46-km track that begins from Pahalgam, a tourist resort 100 km south of summer capital Srinagar, and passes through the Mahagunus pass at the height of 14,500 feet above sea level. Some of the areas en route are prone to militant attacks.

The state government and the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board have been at loggerheads over the period of the pilgrimage that attracted over 150,000 pilgrims last year.