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| VHP takes SASB, authorities to task for yatra mess | | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, June 28: VHP has expressed its utter disgust the way the annual Amarnath yatra is being run by Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) and the State administration.
Talking to reporters here, today VHP patron in chief, Dr Rama Kant Dubey took the Shrine Board to task for its mismanagement and lack of interest in running the annual yatra on a large scale by involving more and more pilgrims in the annual yatra.
He said it is disgusting that this year for the first time since 1996 lowest number of 1160 yatris left for the darshan of holy cave on the first day of annual pilgrimage. This is because the yatra was not properly handled by the SASB and administration, he added.
He alleged that the yatra was also stopped by the Traffic Police unnecessarily and yatris were subjected to harassment. The yatra is being managed in such a way that no prominent citizen , social and religious organization, Sadhu Sants and other organization members were invited to be present during the flagging off ceremony. This speaks volumes about ill will of the administration and Shrine Board which has made the yatra as a Sarkari yatra.
Dr Dubey said this yatra is known as Hindu yatra all over the globe and it is not known why the prominent Hindu organizations especially those who were linked with the affairs of yatra since a long time and who were traditionally associated with this pilgrimage since 1996.
He also pointed out that this time only two lakh yatris were registered which shows that Shrine Board has not performed its function properly by giving vide publicity and lowering of formalities. Shrine Board has made it so difficult that an ordinary man can't think of performing the yatra to get his or her medical examination conducted and complete other formalities. Shrine Board is there to encourage the pilgrims and not for their discouragement, he added.
He said the Board should not make the yatra complicated and create hurdles in the way of yatris which discourages the people from embarking on yatra. He also took the Board to task for its failure in opening the current registration counters and the yatris who have reached here for current registration from different parts of the country. They were forced to visit the site seeing places in HP. This attitude of the administration and Board will in way help in encouragement of yatra, he added.
Dr Dubey said that the Board and administration officials were dictating terms to yatris instead of assisting them to have a smooth and hassle free pilgrimage, he added.
He also criticized the Board for not opening the traditional Pahalgam track though it had already announced the date for start of yatra two months back. Now it has deferred yatra via traditional track on the plea that it is covered with snow. The VHP leader said the Board should have taken the assistance of other organizations maintaining National Highway from Udhampur to Ladakh.
He also criticized the Board members for not giving any statement on yatra saying this shows that they have no faith on the yatra hence they should be replaced by those members who have faith on the annual pilgrimage.
Hemraj Khajuria working president VHP and Dr Sham Lal Gupta, general secretary, VHP were also present in the press conference.
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