Pardeep Sharma
KATHUA, Aug 22: Thousands of devotees who had gone to annual Kailash Kund yatra this year have a bitter experience to share about the pilgrimage as there was total lack of basic facilities enroute to the holy shrine . This forced the pilgrims to face lot of trouble during the yatra as the district administration Kathua and Lakhanpur Sarthal Development Authority (LSDA) did not pay any heed to make arrangements for these yatris enroute to Kailash Kund from Bani onwards. The Kailash Kund Yatra from Bani to Chattargala falls under the jurisdiction of Kathua district.
To finalize the arrangement for yatra a high level meeting was held in DC Office Kathua with Deputy Commissioner, Ramesh Kumar and member of Kailash Kund Development Committee and Langer Committees. The 15 day long yatra started on August 6 and concluded on August 21 .
According to these yatris no arrangement of tents for night stay, medicare facilities, drinking water, toilets, bathrooms, food and shelter was made by the district administration Kathua at Chatargala.
Under this circumstance the devotees on the way to Kailash Kund had to pass sleepless nights in open air due to lack of tents etc. A devotee Bishan Dass from Bani said that a group of ten people including women and children visited Kailash Kund to have holy dip and darshan “but we are sorry to say that the district administration did not make any arrangement at Chattargala and we have to face inconvenience during the yatra”. A devotee from Bhaderwah Hukam Singh alleged that the religious tourist destinations are widely ignored by the Government. Even the Lakhanpur Sarthal Development Authority did not pay any attention to set up information centers at tourist attraction points, provide basic facilities for yatris and no Government employee was deputed at any place enroute to Kailash Kund . “This is the first time when we face such inconvenience”, he added.
The irate devotee also raised protest demonstration against the District Administration Kathua and Lakhnapur Sarthal Development Authority following the inconveniences at Chhatargala, Bani .
The MLA Bani Jeevan Lal also showed his serious concern over the mismanagement during the Kailash Kund yatra. He said that every year more than three thousand devotees visit to Kailash Kund from Kathua district. It was responsibility of the Kathua administration to make arrangements for devotees. He alleged that “when I came to know about the mismanagement , I talked to Deputy Commissioner Ramesh Kumar on phone twice and urged him to make arrangements of tents, healthcare, drinking water, toilets etc”. “Unfortunately the administration paid a deaf ear to my request, then I asked the SDM Bani to take care of devotees. Thereafter on August 15, a medicare camp was established at Chatargala. Otherwise all the arrangement was on papers. He has appealed the Chief Minister to order an enquiry into the matter as the lives of thousands of the devotees were put to risk.
He, however, complimented the security forces for support and help rendered by them to devotees in absence of administration.
Thousands of the devotees drawn from Kathua, Bhaderwah , Udhampur and Doda district and neighboring states Punjab , Haryana and Himachal Pradesh are visiting Kailash Kund to have darshan. It is known as the home of Lord Shiva and Parvati. The devotees after trekking steep mountains and rocks through small footpath reach Kailash Kund. There is also deficiency of Oxygen at various places enroute. The ten Kilometre long footpath route situated on over 14000 feet height is mark of attraction for pilgrims. The pilgrims visiting on foot and also pony backs reach Kailash Kund to offer the prayer and also to know about the miracle of nature.
The devotees take holy dip in the Kailash Kund and have holy darshan of Vasuki Naag and other goddess.
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