NEW DELHI, July 24:
The BJP today demanded the Centre to intervene in the growing number of Amarnath pilgrims’ deaths, which has risen to 97.
“A seven-member delegation of BJP MPs met Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on the issue of increasing number of deaths of Amarnath pilgrims,” senior BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj told reporters after meeting the Home Minister at his office in North Block.
The party also submitted a memorandum to the Home Minister on the issue.
Ms Swaraj said the delegation, led by her and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley, raised mainly two issues—reduction of duration of yatra and basic facilities to the pilgrims—before the Home Minister.
She said the annual yatra duration has been curtailed leading to such large number of deaths. Due to reduction of yatra duration from three months to only 39 days, about 42,000 people were visiting the holy Amarnath cave shrine, situated at 13,500 feet, in south Kashmir Himalayas, every day.
Ms Swaraj alleged that the Jammu and Kashmir Government and Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), responsible for holding the yatra, have been failed to provide facilities to the yatris such as medical centres and shelters.
The senior BJP leader said had better facilities and infrastructure been provided, the deaths could have been prevented.
Ms Swaraj said the yatra was beneficial to the local economy.
She demanded the Home Minister to inrease yatra days and provide facilities to the pilgrims.
“The Home Minister assured us that he would talk to J&K Governor N N Vohra (who is also chairman of SASB),” she added.
The BJP delegation also included party MPs Ananth Kumar, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Shahnawaz Hussain, Tarun Vijay and Bimla Kashyap.
A total of 97 yatris have died since the commencement of the annual pilgrimage to holy Amarnath cave shrine since June 25.
Expressing shock over the growing number of Amarnath pilgrims’ death, the Supreme Court yesterday asked the State Government to immediately deploy medical aid teams for the pilgrims.
The apex court had on Friday set up a high-powered committee, headed by the Jammu and Kashmir Governor, to study reasons for the growing number of pilgrims’ deaths. (UNI)
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