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| Beyond enthusiasm over inauguration of Katra rail link, yatra shrinking alarmingly! | | | Abodh Sharma
JAMMU, July 2: At a time when the state and Union Governments are gaga over the inauguration of Udhampur-Katra rail line by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, which is being projected as a landmark that would facilitate the pilgrimage to the revered shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi, the fact of the matter is that the pilgrimage to one of the most sacred of Hindu shrines in the country is shrinking thick and fast.
If the official sources in Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) are to be believed, the pilgrimage in the first six months of the year 2014 that concluded on June 30, has shrunk by over eight lakhs as compared to the previous year. While the remarkable fall in the pilgrimage is being attributed to the infamous Kedarnath tragedy in Uttarakhand the previous year, which many believe has caused apprehension amongst devotees taking to pilgrimages in the mountains, a senior officer on the condition of anonymity alleged that lack of vision and will on part of the SMVD Shrine Board to improve upon the quality of pilgrimage and the facilities available to the devotees is a major reason behind depletion of yatra.
"The SMVDSB is highly centralized and there is no effort to bring in new ideas and better facilities for the pilgrims," said a senior officer. "The Prasad, Langar, route, accommodation and other facilities have almost stabilized and there is little effort to break the status quo," he rued adding that other holy places of Hindu pilgrimage have been able to attract more devotees due to their persistent initiatives to improve facilities. Sources also divulged that the Shrine Board has invested all its resources and energy in construction of projects like hospital and stadium, which have no direct relevance with the pilgrimage.
It is pertinent to mention here, that pilgrimage had been exhibiting remarkable improvement in terms of numbers and had crossed one crore mark till the previous year but the trend has reversed sharply this year, highlighting the need to improve upon the better facilities for the pilgrims, failing which the inauguration of Katra rail link would also make little difference. |
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