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| Basic facilities still non existent on Baltal route | | 8 Trekking from this track prone to disaster , say pilgrims | | Early Times Report
Jammu, June 30 : Twenty five year old Amit Sharma from Jammu who returned from holy Amarnath Yatra today feels distraught to recollect what he calls as some nightmarish moments he encountered while trekking from arduous Baltal route.' Dangerous and culpable to disastrous consequences' were the expressions he used to describe the status of this route which is totally devoid of even basic facilities of light and toilets, not to speak of measures safety measures like tents or shelter sheds, an utmost necessity in the event of inclement weather. This he said is in contrast to what government claims before commencement of Yatra.
"The first thing I prayed before Bholey Baba while having darshan was that I won't ever be able to come for this holy pilgrimage….at least from Baltal route , no matter it takes less time but it is not worth the risk pilgrims face with lack of all facilities en route…….the pilgrims truly so reach the cave only by grace of Lord Shiva's blessings ( Bholey Baba Teri Bhakto Par Hamesha Kripa Bani Rahe …..Lekin Mujhe Yahan Ab Kabhi Nahi Bulana)", said Jyoti Devi from Delhi who was also in the same group which left in first batch on June 29. The description in her emotive and scary expression is reflected in the experiences of other pilgrims as well and speaks volumes about the hollow claims of the state government, particularly SASB.
According to pilgrims who performed pilgrimage two days back from this route, the facilities whatsoever are there but confined and concentrated only to the base camp. The pilgrims begin onward journey only to find to entire trek full of hardships and risks on this route. What compounds their problems is utter lack of basic facilities which SASB keeps talking about. The situation remains grim and grave for pilgrims who start pilgrimage by evening. "There is no arrangement of light at any point………those having torches manage a safe trek with difficulty and others simply risk their lives while they move ahead on the narrow and slippery track", said Amit.
The claim of mobile phone connectivity is a far cry ……at no point our mobiles worked, he said adding that what endangers the lives of thousands of pilgrims taking this route is lack of temporary shelters which is a dire necessity from this route. "In the event of even light rains there is no place to hide or protect …….....one can imagine what would be the fate if strong winds or storm occurs……it can cause serious trouble the route being higly prone to land slides", he said hesitating to elaborate, wishing luck for the pilgrims ahead and the same time cautioning government on the grim scenario of so called facilities at present. There are no toilets nor any such facility even for women on the entire barring one or two at Brari point. The track is devoid of steel railings and barricades at the vulnerable points which are a must for safety of pilgrims. Similar is the scenario prevailing near the cave site where, according to pilgrims, everything runs on whims and wishes of Police deployed there. This site as per the pilgrims lacks adequate number of tents, shelters and the fabricated toilets and washrooms are conspicuous by absence.
Nitish Sen Gupta Commission report recommendations on smooth conduct of the annual pilgrimage in context of facilities are completely non existent. Neither the state government nor the Shrine Board has yet given serious thought to improve the status of this route. The government has focused only on two recommendations of this committee as it suits them on other fronts: restricting the number of pilgrims and reducing the period of pilgrimage. As for facilties, all recommendations, at least from Baltal route, as endorsed by the accounts of the pilgrims this year, these have been thrown to winds. |
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