Vaishnodevi yatra suspended

Though snow from some sections was cleared by the Border Roads Organization (BRO) by taking advantage of the clear weather yet the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway remained closed for the third consecutive day today. In the meantime, pilgrimage to the holy cave shrine of Shri Mata Vaishnodevi was suspended this afternoon after seven pilgrims sustained injuries due to extreme slippery conditions between Adhkuwari and Bhawan.

Soon after getting information about pilgrims facing lots of inconvenience due to extreme slippery conditions between Adhkuwari, Bhawan and Bhairon Ghati areas, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Shri Mata Vaishnodevi Shrine Board, R K Goyal, Additional Chief Executive Officer, Dr Mandeep K Bhandari and Additional SP Katra, Mohan Lal, personally conducted the inspection of the track.

Later, the yatra was suspended from Katra at around 2.30 pm as a precautionary measure and all the pilgrims, who had already left the base camp for the cave shrine, were advised through the public address system to adopt utmost caution while trekking the distance between Adhkuwari and Bhawan and up to Bhairon Ghati.

"Though we have removed snow from the entire track yet due to plummeting of temperature the track between Adhkuwari and Bhawan has become very slippery and allowing yatra in these circumstances is fraught with danger", Additional Chief Executive Officer of the Shri Mata Vaishnodevi Shrine Board, Dr Mandeep Bhandari said when contacted.

To a question, he said that Shrine Board has been making repeated announcements from the public address system advising the pilgrims to move only on that portion of the track from where the snow has been removed in order to avoid any trouble.

"We will assess the situation tomorrow morning before taking any decision vis-à-vis allowing yatra from the Katra", Mr Bhandari said in response to another question.

According to police sources, due to slippery conditions, around seven pilgrims sustained injuries at Hathi Matha, Bhairon Ghati and Bhawan areas last night. All were shifted to Katra Hospital, where they were provided required treatment.

The injured pilgrims have been identified as Gopal, Rajni, Bhumesh, Pinki, all the residents of Delhi, Gourav Kumar of Moradabad, Raju of Rajasthan and Kashi Nath of Uttar Pradesh.

Meanwhile, Jammu-Srinagar National Highway 1A remained closed for the 3rd consecutive day today although the Border Roads Organization (BRO) succeeded in removing snow from some sections and cleared some stranded vehicles particularly between Banihal and Jawahar Tunnel.

Deputy Commissioner, Ramban, Shabir Ahmed, said that Border Roads Organization (BRO) cleared Jawahar Tunnel-Banihal stretch of the highway for one way movement of the vehicles at around 4 pm following which all the stranded vehicles were allowed to proceed towards Kashmir valley.

"Ramban to Batote and Batote to Patnitop sections were also cleared partially but road connectivity between Ramban and Banihal could not be restored even one way because of problems at Digdol and Nachlana", he said, adding "we are expecting re-opening of the highway for one way movement of the vehicles by tomorrow afternoon or evening".

According to the Udhampur district administration, Patnitop-Udhampur Section of the highway was reopened for one way movement of the vehicles and some stranded vehicles were allowed to proceed towards Udhampur but with utmost precaution.

The road clearance work was going on between Batote-Assar stretch of National Highway 1B when reports last came in and road connectivity of the twin mountainous districts of Doda and Kishtwar with rest of the State is also likely to be restored by tomorrow afternoon.

Though some interior roads in Doda and Kishtwar districts were reopened today yet almost all link roads in Ramban district continued to remain blocked because of heavy snowfall and administration would be able to start restoration work only after the opening of the highway, official sources said. Similarly, majority of the roads in the hilly areas of Udhampur district also remained closed even today.

Due to closure of the highway for the third consecutive day today, around 300 Kashmir valley and erstwhile Doda district bound passengers have been stranded at General Bus Stand, Jammu.

On the instructions of the Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, his Political Advisor Devinder Singh Rana, today visited the area and interacted with the stranded passengers.

Accompanied by Deputy Commissioner, Jammu, Sanjeev Verma, Mr Rana informed the stranded passengers that efforts were being made to open the highway and hopefully by tomorrow afternoon they would be allowed to proceed towards their respective destinations in the State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC) buses free of cost.

Our Srinagar Correspondent adds:

Summer capital recorded coldest night of the winter after the minimum temperature dropped to minus 5.5 degree Celsius. However, world famous ski resort of Gulmarg was coldest in the Kashmir valley after the minimum temperature dropped to minus 16.5 degree.

Major parts of the world famous Dal Lake were frozen, attracting large number of people, including tourists who were seen taking photographs.

Official sources said several other water bodies were also frozen due to cold. People in many areas complained about water shortage as the water taps were also frozen. Due to non-availability of electricity, water could not be lifted to filtration plants and water tanks.

Famed ski resort of Gulmarg, which experienced more than five feet of snowfall, also recorded coldest night of the season when the minimum temperature dropped to minus 16.5 degree this morning. Earlier, the highest temperature was minus 12.0 degrees recorded on December 23, 2011.

However, hundreds of tourists from different parts of the country and abroad were enjoying the snow despite severe cold. Qazigund, gateway of Kashmir valley on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, also recorded minus 8.4 degrees breaking the previous minus 5.6 recorded on December 26, 2011.

Kokernag in South Kashmir and Kupwara in North Kashmir also recorded coldest night after the minimum temperature dropped to minus 6.3 and minus 5.6 degree respectively. However, famed health resort of Pahalgam, base camp of holy Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas, recorded minus 6.0 degree temperature against yesterday's minus 4.0 degree.

Mata Vaishno Devi yatra may touch 1 cr

Pilgrimage to holy cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi ji was, for the first time, touching 6 million in just seven months of the year recording an increase of 7.77 lakh over the corresponding months last year. The present trend of increase could take the yatra very close to magic figure of 1 crore this year.

It would be the first shrine, located between the Trikuta hills and untouched by the passenger vehicles, to receive nearly 10 million pilgrims in a year in the country.

During first seven months of this year, 58.63 lakh yatris had visited the cave shrine of Goddess Vaishno Devi, located at a height of 5200 feet from sea level. Going by the current average arrival of 35,000 to 40,000 pilgrims per day at Katra, the base camp of the shrine, the yatra would cross 6 million in next three to four days. Last year, the feat of 6 million was achieved after eight months.

Additional CEO Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB), Dr Mandeep K Bhandari told the Excelsior that pilgrimage to Mata Vaishno Devi shrine has shown an increase of 7.77 lakh during first seven months of this year as compared to same period last year.

As against 58.63 lakh pilgrims visiting the holy cave shrine by this evening, 50.86 lakh yatris had visited Vaishno Devi Bhawan in the corresponding period last year, he said.

In the month of July, 11.27 lakh yatris paid obeisance to Goddess Vaishno Devi. The number during last year was 8.17 lakh.

This is for the first time that yatra to Vaishno Devi shrine had crossed 11 lakh in the months of June and July. During the two months alone, the yatra has recorded an increase of about 6.5 lakh over the same months of previous year taking total increase during seven months to 7.77 lakh.

During 2010, an all time high 87.2 lakh pilgrims had visited Mata Vaishno Devi shrine. With 7.77 lakh increase having been registered in the yatra already, the Shrine Board authorities were anticipating that, going by the present trend, the yatra could touch or reach close to 1 crore this year.

There is no shrine in the country having no direct access of passenger vehicles which received 1 crore pilgrims a year. The pilgrims had to trek 13 kilometers hilly track from Katra to reach the Bhawan of Goddess Vaishno Devi.

Meanwhile, the Shrine Board has received report from IIM Ahmedabad experts on yatra management at Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan in view of ever increasing rush of the yatris. The Board had hired services of IIM Ahmedabad experts to suggest yatra management within limited scope of widening at Bhawan complex for better management of yatra queues to ensure that the pilgrims face less inconvenience and time in the queues.

The Shrine Board authorities are studying the report, official sources said.

SDPO Katra P N Tickoo said security arrangements at Katra, which serves as base camp for the shrine, Darshani Deodi, Ban Ganga and surrounding areas of Katra have already been intensified in view of unabated heavy rush of the pilgrims to Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan.

Mr Tickoo said the pilgrims having mobile handset with IMEI number and photo identity cards were being allowed only in the hotels, guest houses, lodges and sarais as per the directive of police.

As against 87.2 lakh yatra in 2010, the number in 2009 was 82 lakh. In 2008, 67.92 lakh yatra was recorded while the number was 74.17 lakh in 2007. The pilgrimage was down in 2008 due to Amarnath land row agitation.

While 4,21,231 yatris had darshan of natural pindies of Goddess Vaishno Devi during January this year, the similar figure for previous year was 3,99,665. In February, the yatra came down slightly and stood at 3,69,755 as against 3,77,213 last year. In March, 7.55 lakh yatris paid obeisance to the Goddess as against 7.22 lakh last year. In April this year, 9.77 lakh pilgrims visited Mata's Bhawan as against 8.35 lakh last year.

Yatra to Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in the month of May was almost equal like the last year. While this year, 8.7 lakh yatris visited the cave shrine, the figure for the last year was 8.65 lakh. In June, the yatra went up to 11.6 lakh as against 9.19 lakh last year.