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Vaishno Devi yatra
Religious boundaries disappear as Muslim porters assist pilgrims
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Chhattisgarh attack result of security lapse: CM
BJP Mahila Morcha team visits Kashmir
on the frontline
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Vaishno Devi yatra
Jammu, May 26 The pilgrim count has increased from 13.96 lakh pilgrims
in 1986 to 1.04 crore pilgrims in 2012, and the annual offerings and donations at the shrine is around Rs 100 crore. The pilgrimage is being managed by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) which came into existence in 1986. Apart from investing in infrastructure to cater to more than 10 million pilgrims from various parts of the country and foreign nations annually, the shrine board has also strived to remain at the forefront of social responsibility by providing financial and physical support to various development, cultural and healthcare activities in the region. The total workforce of the shrine board is 2,500, which includes 700 safai karamcharis. Besides, there are around 30,000 porters working at the shrine and 70 per cent of them are Muslims. Online registration
Additional Chief Executive Officer, SMVDSB, Mandeep K Bhandari said the shrine board had started an online registration for pilgrims. “Earlier, there were only two registration counters in Katra. We are making the registration process more expansive by setting up six new counters in Katra,” he said. The board has two residential complexes, Vaishnavi Dham and Saraswati Dham near the railway station in Jammu for pilgrims from where they can get registration slips for pilgrimage. A facilitation counter has also been established at Jammu Airport. Boost to infrastructure
Bhandari said the prime concern of the shrine board was to ensure a safe and smooth yatra for the pilgrims. Apart from two residential complexes, Vaishnavi Dham and Saraswati Dham, the third residential complex, Kalika Dham, is under construction in Jammu and it will be able to accommodate 500 pilgrims. In Katra, Trikuta Bhawan and Neharika Bhawan have the capacity for accommodating 700 and 600 pilgrims, respectively. A multi-storey complex, Ashirwad Bhawan, is coming up with accommodation for more than 500 pilgrims. The upcoming Parvati complex at the cave shrine will have accommodation for 200 pilgrims. “A pony shed is also under construction at the bhawan where 200-250 pony-wallas can take rest. The shrine board is also focusing on maintenance of track, and dividers are being installed en route to make the pilgrimage hassle-free,” he said. Go-green drive
The shrine board has launched a vigorous plantation drive in the entire area and it has planted around six lakh saplings of various species to enhance the green cover. Around 3.5 lakh saplings of various species were planted last year, while the number of saplings planted in 2011 was 2 lakh. The shrine board has also taken the initiative to impart fire fighting training to its workforce so that the fires in Trikuta hills are controlled effectively. The shrine board in consultation with Tehri Hydro Development Corporation Ltd has started the process of stabilisation of steep slopes in vulnerable areas en route the shrine. Besides, it has taken the innovative step of generating energy by using mule dung. Around four tonnes of mule dung is generated every day and it is being used to generate energy by setting up a bio gas plant in Katra. Social concerns
The shrine board in collaboration with the Dogri Sansthan has decided to create a website exclusively for the promotion and preservation of Dogri language. Apart from raising infrastructure en route and at cave shrine, the shrine board is also contributing towards infrastructure like school buildings and a cremation ground in the Katra area. The board has also provided major logistic and financial support for renovation of Bhim Garh Fort in Reasi. It has created various self-help groups which are being run by around 120 women, including those from Baridar families (traditional local residents who used to manage and control the shrine) who are engaged in hand-made traditional bracelets made of threads. Some are engaged in preparation of “ladoo prasad”. The shrine board, with the help of Jammu and Kashmir Women Development Corporation, has also engaged destitute and needy women belonging to various parts of the Jammu region and the Kashmir valley for manufacturing jute carry bags so that they can earn their livelihood. Around 10,000 jute carry bags are being procured monthly from these women. The shrine board is also constructing a multi-purpose stadium at Katra for indoor and outdoor games. It also running a Vedic school, Mata Vaishno Devi Gurukul, to impart the knowledge of Sanskrit language and Vedic culture. The students undergoing training at the institution are also taught English, mathematics, science, social studies, computer science and music. Pilgrims’ safety
The shrine board has decided to erect high wire mesh en route the cave shrine. It will not only ensure the safety of the pilgrims but will also protect slopes from getting polluted as pilgrims tend to throw waste material on these slopes. The total area of the shrine is also being fenced to ensure foolproof security and to preserve forest wealth and vegetation. During rains, shooting stones (triggered by the movement of monkeys) come down with high speed, causing a risk to the lives of pilgrims. The shrine board has decided to cover the maximum area of the track with specially designed tin sheets to nullify the impact of small stones. The board is also constructing a helipad at Panchi, 1.5 km short of the shrine, for emergency landing of helicopters. Facilities for yatris
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Religious boundaries disappear as Muslim porters assist pilgrims
Katra, May 26 “We offer namaz first and then go about doing our business. We carry the baggage of pilgrims and they pay us more than our fee,” said Ahmad Din, a Muslim porter from Mahore in Reasi district. Hindu pilgrims said religious boundaries disappear when these porters enthusiastically chant hymns along with them on the way to the shrine. “Being Muslims, they are very cooperative. They have equal reverence for the goddess and they chant hymns with us. It doesn't seem that there is any religious disparity among us,” said Bupinder Singh, president, All Mazdoor Union, Katra, adding that there were around 30,000 porters working at the shrine and 70 per cent of them were Muslims. Perched atop Trikuta hills at a height of 1,700 m above the sea level, the Vaishno Devi shrine is held in high esteem by Hindus across the country. It attracts more than ten million pilgrims every year, particularly during summer, and is the main source of livelihood for thousands of residents. Muslim girl leads Navaratra festivities
For the last four years, Navaratra festivities here are being led by a Muslim girl. Mahapara, who’s an eighth standard student, dressed as the goddess, leads processions during the nine-day festival at Katra — the base camp of the Vaishno Devi shrine since 2009. Her father Mohammad Yousuf, the owner of an eatery, said when Mahapara expressed her desire to take part in the processions, he was initially surprised but fully supported her, even her decision to fast during the festival. A lot of Muslims take part in the festival here. Make-up artists, cultural troupes and Pakistani wrestlers take part in the festival every year. Muslim musicians participate in the recital of devotional songs every evening. Katra town has more than 6,000 Muslims and there are several others who come from outside the town during the festival. |
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State’s rice bowl faces water crisis
Jammu, May 26 This has the cultivators worried as they are dependent on groundwater for farming. These deep bore wells also provide drinking water to people living in rural areas, particularly in villages close to the international border. Sources say staff shortage has also forced the department to abandon equipment installed in
the recent past. Each tubewell costs Rs 30 to 40 lakh and the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department and the Irrigation Department have set up many of them under various Centrally sponsored schemes. Tubewells irrigate nearly 8,000 kanals of land in the Jammu region, particularly the rice producing RS Pura, Suchetgarh, Akhnoor and Bishnah areas. The tail-end villages facing water shortage include Baspur Bangla, Suchetgarh, Abdal, Grahana, Chakroi, Chandu-Chak, Abdullian, Vidhipur, Samka, Dera, Raipur Saida, Biyaspur and Parlah. Though Ranbir Canal provides water for irrigation to most of the Jammu region, a number of villages in RS Pura sector and Arnia in Bisnah are not covered by the canal. In the absence of proper irrigation facilities, these are dependent on rainfall. The sources said basic norms were being ignored while setting up these tubewells from the past one decade and due to poor maintenance, they remain non-functional most of the time. Executive Engineer, Irrigation Department, KC Gupta blamed the erratic power supply for the situation. He said voltage problems had led to snags in
the machinery. “At times, they don’t function due to electricity cuts. Whenever there is any technical fault, we try to ratify it immediately. If farmers are facing any problem, they should come to us so that we can send our technical teams,” Gupta said. However, farmers rue that the government is giving them false assurances and nothing concrete has been done on the ground. “We produce the best quality of basmati rice in the region but lack of proper irrigation facilities and maintenance of machinery by the department concerned creates problems for us,” said Tejinder Singh, a farmer. In the Jammu region, the total area under rice cultivation is around 109.60 thousand hectares and the production is around 1,828 thousand quintals (2006-07). |
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Omar inaugurates fourth bridge over Tawi river
Jammu, May 26 The total cost of the project is Rs 147 crore, out of which Rs 86.05 crore has been spent on the four-lane bridge and rest will be used to connect the adjoining areas with the bridge. The formation width of the bridge is 21.06 metres, carriage way is 2x7.50 metres, centre verge is 1.2 metres, the footpath is 2x2 metres, crash barrier between carriage way and footpath 2x0.50 metres and RCC railing 2x0.20 metres. Omar Abdullah said traffic decongestion will be greatly reduced with this bridge. Omar also laid the foundation stone of Bikram Chowk flyover and the construction of the road corridor to Satwari. The project is likely to cost over Rs 84.8 crore and is likely to be completed within 36 months. The main features of the project is the construction of 1.3 km four-lane flyover of 17 metres width, construction of 1.5 km long eight-lane road, two pedestrian sub-ways, re-construction of the overhead footbridge, construction of four-bus-bays, two-meter wide footpath and installing streetlights. Chief Minister said the de-congestion of the city roads in Srinagar and Jammu is the priority of the government. Omar said the rehabilitation of shopkeepers and others to be affected by the construction of the flyovers in Srinagar and Jammu is being attended to holistically and he has directed the agencies concerned to ensure proper rehabilitation of all those who are affected by the project. Those who were present on the occasion included the R&B minister, Abdul Majid Wani, PHE minister, Sham Lal Sharma, Housing minister, Raman Bhalla, P&D minister, Ajay Sadhotra, MoS Health, Shabir Khan, MoS Home, Sajjad Kichloo, NC Provincial President Jammu Davender Rana and others. |
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Chhattisgarh attack result of security lapse: CM
Jammu, May 26 “When former chief minister along with elected representatives and the Pradesh Congress Committee chief visited the area, the security preparedness on the ground and patrolling was not up to the mark,” Omar said on the sidelines of a function in Jammu on Sunday. He said, “From my side and on behalf of my colleagues, I express heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families.” Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC), too, condemned the Maoist attack. In a press statement, JKPCC president Prof Saifuddin Soz stated that it was an attack not only on Congress cadres but on humanity and democracy of India. |
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BJP Mahila Morcha team visits Kashmir
Jammu, May 26 BJP Mahila Morcha state president Priya Sethi has reason to claim that their five-day tour in the Valley was “historic” because their women delegation from Jammu not only visited towns but also toured the areas which were once considered the stronghold
of terrorists. “Our first contact with women of Kashmir was very encouraging because a large number of women came forward to interact with us despite some forces with vested interests projected the BJP as enemy of Kashmiris,” Sethi, who reached Jammu today after completing
her tour, said. “Although some women raised some difficult questions, we succeeded in convincing them that they should come forward to actively participate in political activities”, she said. Officially, the Mahila Morcha activists were scheduled to address meeting of women workers in Kashmir but the team decided to hold interaction with the general public. “Women are bearing the maximum brunt of the prevailing uncertainty and conflicting situation in the Kashmir valley. Their participation in political activities is almost negligible due to the fear of the gun,” Sethi said. “We tried to convince women folk of the Valley that they should connect themselves with the national mainstream so as to effectively highlight their woes”, she said while claiming that a number of women enrolled themselves as members
of the BJP. The BJP had constituted its Kashmir unit just for a formality but for the first time the party is looking serious about making inroads into the Kashmir valley. “Our tour was not a formality but a serious attempt to open the channel of communication with women of the Kashmir valley to cement relations between the two regions (Jammu and Kashmir),” Priya Sethi said. |
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on the frontline
The mindset of the Pakistani military remains unchanged. Unless that is changed, there hardly exists any prospect of events happening the way the Kashmiri leadership wants them to turn out. That is their wish list, despite the fact that they know that the script of the Pakistani leadership is written by the military establishment. To not raise the Kashmir issue in the Pakistan election campaign was not deliberate. It was essentially due to the internal threats that Pakistan is facing. At the same time, it should be understood that unless the mindset of the military commanders in the neighbouring country changes, nothing will change. The Kargil mentality is still prevalent. The country that survives on military aid and money from America is also the frontline state in fuelling anti-Americanism in the world. If any demonstration was needed of the Orwellian-type double speak vis-à-vis Kashmir, it was there in the Valley where Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire and tried to push infiltrators and also where four soldiers were killed against two militants last week alone. In the military rule book, this is an unacceptable ratio. It should have been the other way around. Internally, it gives credence to fears that militancy is alive and militants have the capacity and the support from Pakistan to inflict casualties on soldiers and civilians in Kashmir. A Brigadier hit by a splinter and receiving injuries from shelling from across the Line of Control (LoC), which divides the state between India and Pakistan, is not a minor thing. The fact of the matter is that a Brigadier got injured. When the borders are threatening to get caught in ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops and retaliatory fire from the Indian side, the sweet talk of the Pakistani leadership doesn’t mean anything. That is the ground reality and that cannot be ignored. Unless the two sides shun their hostile attitude, the dialogue table would be sliding away from them. It brings up a question — that why shouldn’t the Kashmiri leadership and the Army work in tandem on issues that concern them in equal measure. Unfortunately, they are not united even in times of mourning. Four soldiers killed in fighting militants were given the final send-off only by the military. Egos don’t resolve problems. The two sides have wasted many opportunities to exchange views and have failed to find a common ground to work together. This has worked to the advantage of Pakistani establishment in which the Pakistani army and Inter-Services Intelligence play a crucial role. They should realise that their destiny is interlinked with the nation that has nurtured them and not with the country that is on the brink of Balkanisation. A burning house cannot help its neighbours. Friendships don’t rest on ceasefire violations and killings, it demands mutual trust. Sweet talk must match actions. |
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The unending enthusiasm of the Kashmiri leaders in hailing what they call positive signs emerging from Pakistan, where the recently held election has given almost a clear mandate to Mohammad Nawaz Sharif to rule the country for the next five years, is understandable because they think that the road to dialogue and peace in the Valley has now opened. But, is the task so easy. Not at all. These intentions are being derailed by the Pakistani military.