Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 2: A delegation of Hotel & Restaurant Association Katra led by its President Sham Lal Kesar & senior vice president Rakesh Wazir met Union Home Secretary, Anil Goswami and apprised him about certain issues including decrease of 35 lac Shri Mata Vaishnodevi Yatra in just two years and said that authorities were deliberately creating problems for Yatris visiting the holy cave of Mata.
The delegation said that the yatris are being deliberately tortured by the Traffic Police at more than a dozens spots right from entry in the State at Lakhanpur & usual stopping of normal flow of Vaishnodevi pilgrims at Nagrota, Domail on one pretext or the other. Such practice be stopped once for all, they demanded.
They even criticized the charging of official tax money from tourist buses on daily basis which too discourages the Yatra.
Both Kesar & Wazir criticized the Railway authorities for deliberately not extending the normal trains from Jammu to Katra as announced by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, reducing the number of D.M.U’s since the last 6-7 months and even denial of very existing railways facilities to pilgrims. This is further adding to their hardships. The Taxi, Auto, Vehicle stands since constructed and ready besides, railway parking lots at Railway Station Katra have also been constructed and but are not being allowed to be used by the Railway authorities.
They said that Katra is crumbling for basic amenities like water, electricity and needed cleanliness. There are only three Yatra slip counters at Katra and 5 Km damaged Katra-Domail road track is required to be coal tarred at the earliest.
They further said that inspite of using of local Vaishnodevi Shrine funds and local land for SMVD University, all the facilities to the locals and students of Jammu region are denied and even in Class 4th employment the locals were totally ignored and the local students reservation in academics as prevalent in many other States stand denied in this University. The delegation demanded reservation to local people of Jammu region.
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