AJHLA blames Govt, SASB for decline in Amarnath Yatra

By
Daily Excelsior
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Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 15: All Jammu Hotels and Lodges Association (AJHLA) has blamed the State Government and Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) for considerable decline in Shri Amarnath Yatra, as registration has hardly crossed 2 lakh mark this year due to various inhibiting factors and constraints.
Addressing a meeting of the association, its president, Inderjeet Khajuria, attributed the fall in the registration of pilgrims to lack of will, non-seriousness and callous attitude of duo State Government and Shri Amarnath Shrine Board.
Pointing towards the pathetic condition of Shri Amarnath Yatri Niwas, Bhagwati Nagar, which caters to the needs of the yatries enroute to Shri Amarnath Yatra as base camp in Jammu, he said the camp was spread over an area of near about 500 kanals but hardly 30 kanals is being utilized for the actual purpose of base camp, adding the remaining area is under the illegal occupation of unauthorized occupants and Government has never bothered to retrieve the said area and add to the Bhagwati Nagar base camp.
“The present base camp can accommodate only 1500 pilgrims, which has been substantiated during the recent rains, when Government had to redirect the pilgrims to other Dharmshalas in Jammu city, when the pilgrims exceeded the number due to blockage of roads and suspension of yatra”, Khajuria said.
Mentioning about the plights of pilgrims, he said that pilgrims were forced to stand in mud caused due to rain during registration process that too without shelter, without drinking water, without sitting arrangement, which resulted in chaos at the base camp. He said that Government does not pay any heed to pilgrims plights, which is the one of the reasons for decline of yatra.
Suggesting the Government and Shri Amarnath Shrine Board, he said that the compulsory medical certificate should be simplified and instead of designated doctors, other doctors within normal reach of common pilgrims should be authorized to issue health certificate.

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