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| Governor visits Holy Cave, Panchtarni, Baltal; reviews post-Yatra cleanliness drive | | | Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, OCTOBER 24 – The Governor, Mr. N. N. Vohra, today visited and held detailed discussions at Baltal and Panchtarni after undertaking an extensive aerial reconnaissance of the Holy Cave Shrine area and both the routes. He specially undertook this tour to review the massive cleanliness drive, post Yatra-2009, which had been launched for protecting the fragile ecology of this region.
The Governor took stock of the post Yatra-2009 sanitation drive and discussed with the District Officers the measures for evolving appropriate strategies for further improvement in the management of Yatra-2010 and beyond. It may be mentioned that on the directions of the Chairman of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board, (HE the Governor), the SASB had launched an extensive sanitation drive to clean up the Camp sites and the tracks on both the axis – Baltal and Pahalgam. On conclusion of Yatra, on 5th August, 2009, the Board has, over the past weeks, cleaned up the track from Baltal to the Holy Cave. This has involved disposal of about 20 tons of garbage, under the overall supervision of the senior officers.
On this important tour, the Governor was accompanied by his Principal Secretary and the Chief Executive Officer SASB, Mr. Raj Kumar Goyal, and the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Board, Mr. Saugat Biswas.
The Governor, while interacting with the officers of the District Ganderbal administration and of the SASB, at Baltal and Panchtarni, appreciated the efforts of all the Government agencies and the local workforce for making the Shrine Board’s efforts to ensure against pollution and thereby contributing to protecting the ecology.
The Governor, who is the Chairman of the SASB, gave on-the-spot instructions for preparing detailed sanitation plans in respect of Yatra-2010 for all the Base Camps, and the transit camps on both the routes, as well as in the Holy Cave periphery, based on the experience gained during this year’s Yatra.
At Baltal the Governor had detailed discussion with, interalia, the ADC Ganderbal, the SP Ganderbal, the CEO Sonamarg Development Authority and others. After considering various viewpoints he directed the CEO, District Superintendent of Police and other concerned officers to prepare an action plan for better traffic management, lighting arrangements, langar arrangements for the Base Camps and enroute to the Holy Cave.
The Governor had earlier in the week convened a high level meeting of the officers of the SASB and discussed threadbare the draft Plan of Action for Yatra-2010 and thereafter directed that all possible measures should be taken, well in time for next year’s Yatra, encompassing conservation of the environment and ecology of the Yatra area and all other pilgrimage related aspects.
Shri R. K. Goyal, CEO of the Board, briefed the Governor that the prefabricated toilet and bath blocks have been dismantled and stocked at safe places and the garbage and plastic material had been moved from the higher ranges on ponies to the Base Camps and transported to the dumping sites.
Shri Goyal said that adequate manpower was deployed for undertaking the cleanliness drive, particularly at the Holy Cave, Chandanwari, Nunwan and Baltal. The Pilot Projects on Sewage and Waste Management at Baltal and Nunwan have worked well and steps would be taken to have similar facilities at several other locations during the Yatra-2010. Elaborating on the measures taken for conservation of environment, he mentioned that modern techniques were adopted for designing the Sewage Treatment Projects (STPs) based on the eco-friendly biological treatment, suiting the local conditions and the available space.
It was disclosed by the CEO that he would be having an interactive Workshop with the representatives of all the Societies which run langars to discuss the New Comprehensive Langar Policy, which has been formulated by the Board, and various other related issues regarding the establishment of langars. This Workshop will be held at Jammu Club, Jammu, on 27th October, 2009.
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