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| Paid Darshan: Shrine Board drags feet | | | Early Times Reporter
Jammu | June 4
After a wide public outcry and intensive supported by the media on the alleged “paid darshan” at the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, the Shrine Board has development a cold feet promising to review the mechanism even as it described the new scheme as an unnecessary misnomer.
A spokesman of the Board said that the management is examining representations from various socio-religious organizations and other groups on the new priority darshan scheme in the Holy Shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi.
He said that the term 'paid darshan' is a misnomer being used by many people unnecessarily. In fact the new priority system that the Board is experimenting with is just a mechanism to further streamline the yatra. It is not at all intended to 'commercialize' the yatra or to earn more revenue as is being made out by various organizations. He said that the Board always had a mechanism to issue priority slips to the personnel of the Army, Police and other Security Forces in view of their urgent nature of duties. 'Unfortunately, this system did not work satisfactorily, as some touts in connivance with corrupt officials started misusing these slips by providing these to many general pilgrims against monetary considerations', he added.
The spokesman said that given the average inflow of about 30,000 pilgrims a day, the Security Forces personnel used to get 1000 to 1500 priority slips for them and their immediate family members. Under the new system, the same number of priorities is being issued, free to SF personnel on showing identity cards but to discourage other pilgrims who for some reason want to have an out of queue darshan, a deterrent payment of Rs 200 is being levied. 'This seems to have worked well, as the number of priority slips issued daily since the inception of the new system has actually come down from 1500 to 800', he said, adding that it will naturally ease the pressure on the general queues of pilgrims and provide a sort of relief to them. 'In any case, the new priorities will not ever be more than what it used to be prior to the introduction of the new system', he added.
On streamlining the yatra, the spokesman said that at the instance of the Governor, Lt. General (Retd) S K Sinha, in his capacity as Chairman of the Board, a new system of waiting has been introduced wherein the group numbers of pilgrims keep on scrolling on Plasma TV screens as at airports. The remaining pilgrims can wait in specially provided waiting bays and even their rooms, dormitories or Bhojhanalays till their turn comes and watch the people performing darshan of the Mata at sanctum sanctorum on close circuit TV screens. This will ensure that the people do not have to stand in queue for more than 20 minutes or so, he said.
“The Board is examining the whole gamut of this unnecessary controversy and on receiving feedback from the officials handling the yatra, the decision will be reviewed', the spokesman added. |
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