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| Yatra death count goes to 115, Govt sitting silent | | Pilgrimage to Amarnath shrine | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, July 27: Jammu and Kashmir Government is sitting silently while death count of Amarnath Pilgrims has reached 115. No compensation has been announced nor have the Ministers of the ruling coalition rushed to the spot where the accident took place. Just plain condolences are pouring in from the Government and political circles.
Despite Supreme Court directions, State Government has not moved an inch. They have preferred to continue with laid back attitude and are seemingly allowing the situation to deteriorate. The fresh incident took place near Pappad Morh in Samba district, about 75 km from here. At least 16 people on their way back from the Amarnath pilgrimage were killed and 20 injured when the truck in which they were travelling rolled into a gorge.
Braving all odds, the occupants of this truck were tirelessly serving thousands of Amarnath pilgrims for last one month. When they were ready to go home contended and happy after performing Darshan and promising to return with full vigour next year, tragedy struck them near Pappad Morh. The incident not only took lives of 16 voluntary workers and faceless cooks who dished out mouth watering dishes to endless number of pilgrims but crippled 18 others with grave marks of injury all over their body.
The traumatic experience of lying on a hospital bed before reaching home gave them jitters. The poor pilgrims had no choice. They were seen battling pain with not a single loved one by their side. Strangers were all over the place trying their level best to soothe their frayed nerves and give them comfort but they could not experience the warmth of unknown relations.
There are those who died during the pilgrimage, mainly due to Government’s insensitivity while there are others who served pilgrims moving towards the cave shrine and died while returning home after wrapping up their community kitchen. Reckless driving coupled with ineffective traffic police management took away everything they had saved or earned during their month long stay in the holy cave shrine.
The Government agencies claimed to have extended all possible help. The security forces came to their rescue, the Governor and the State Chief Minister expressed their condolences and shared their grief with the deceased families and assured all possible help. But no one announced compensation for the deceased. It appeared as if their dead bodies meant nothing for the Government.
One is reminded here of a similar incident which took place on July 14. An SRTC bus rolled down into gorge near Ramban, resulting in death of 15 pilgrims. Government launched rescue operation but preferred not to offer even a single penny to those who died on the road leading to cave shrine. It seems that Jammu and Kashmir Government does not consider Amarnath pilgrims, who throng the cave shrine from all over the country and give a boost to Kashmiri tourism industry, guests.
It needs to be mentioned here that last year, 107 pilgrims had died due to natural causes during the Amarnath Yatra. In 2010, the number was 78 and in 2009, toll of those dying from natural causes was 42. A bench of Justices B.S. Chauhan and Swatanter Kumar recently asked State Government to take assistance of Centre and Governments of Uttar Pradesh and Punjab to deploy necessary medical teams for pilgrims.
About 750,000 pilgrims visited the high altitude cave shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva last year. The figure was 600,000 in 2010 and 450,000 in 2009. This year, 580,000 pilgrims have so far performed the Yatra. Himalayan cave shrine is at a height of 13,000 feet and houses an ice stalagmite seen to be an icon of Lord Shiva. |
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