Excelsior Correspondent
KATRA, Oct 30: A joint delegation of Hotel & Restaurant Association (HRA), Katra and PHD Chamber of Commerce & Industry Jammu called on the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB), Simrandeep Singh, and urged him to ensure better management of the Yatra and best selfless services to the pilgrims.
The delegation was led by the Association president & PHDCCI co-chairman, Rakesh Wazir and the Association’s chairman Shyam Lal Kesar. They were accompanied by PHDCCI Katra head, Virender Kesar, Hotel Associations’s general secretary, Kuldeep Dubey, vice presidents, Ajay Kotwal, Ashwani Sharma, Meena Wazir, Vivek Sharma, Amit Rahi and others.
During the meeting, Wazir suggested a series of steps including proper cleaning of Vaishnodevi tracks on 24 hour basis as was done few years back, reservation of 25% of seats for senior citizen, handicapped and cancer patients in Helicopter tickets, free langar for Yatries at Bhawan, Kar Sewa on the pattern and spirits of Golden Temple whereby people offer themselves voluntarily for doing several services without any charges, self washing of foot points before entering cave, starting of light and sound at Katra, Ropeway from Katra to Shanker Acharya, etc.
He stressed for stoppage of practice of standing of each & every member of the family in the queue for the Yatra slip, making wide publicity of the pilgrim destination through festivals like Navratra Festival, making of beautiful Ghat at Banganga and publicizing & developing places of pilgrim interest around Katra like Shiv Khori, Nau Devian, Dhansar etc. Wazir further said that when Katra had been declared to be an iconic city its planning and spending of money should also be done in such a way that it could become an iconic place in reality as well.
Kesar, while speaking on the occasion, expressed concern over decreasing of Yatra every year. He said all out efforts are required to be made to increase the facilities, infrastructure to increase the Yatra.
Simrandeep Singh listened to the delegation patiently and assured that sympathetic consideration would be made to each and every point referred in the discussion.
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