Mohinder Verma
Planning and management of pilgrimage destinations has become an area of concern across the country because of varied reasons particularly from disaster management point of view. Astonishingly, this aspect remains out of focus as far as holy town of Katra is concerned. The town located at an altitude of about 2500 feet above sea level in the Reasi district is popular worldwide because of being base camp for the pilgrimage to cave shrine of Shri Mata Vaishnodevi, the number of which is increasing every year.
There is hardly any area, which does not reflect lack of planning and management and the prevailing state of affairs has virtually turned the town into a concrete jungle at the cost of its serenity and environment. Nobody knows whether this ill-planned town would be able to withstand the ever increasing number of pilgrims in the coming years in case the planning and management fails to receive required attention anymore.
The good impression, which pilgrims from different parts of the country keep in their mind about the base camp of world famous pilgrimage destination before leaving their respective destinations, gets faint when they reach Katra as this town doesn’t have anything in the planned manner and chaotic conditions can be seen everywhere.
Let us take the example of parking places for the vehicles entering the town carrying pilgrims and inhabitants of Katra and its adjoining areas. As per the official data, around 1740 vehicles mainly buses enter the holy town every day but there is no organized and planned parking slot. The only bus stand, which plays host to majority of the buses, gives a pathetic look and is in a very poor condition. The insanitary condition has become hallmark of this bus stand.
In order to have spacious and modern bus stand, the administration had identified 418 kanal of land away from the heart of the town in 2006. Surprisingly, modern bus stand remains a dream despite the fact that land was acquired in 2011. No progress could be made in establishing the bus stand as State, as usual, doesn’t have resources to meet expenditure of Rs 45 crore. What to talk of sanctioning Rs 45 crore, the Government could not even manage Rs 1.20 crore required for fencing the land and construction of approach road so that even idle parking could be shifted to this place till the modern bus stand comes up.
The chaotic condition created everyday by the vehicular traffic in the absence of parking places can be gauged from the fact that around 700 autorickshaws are operating in the town and its vicinity but there is parking space only for 200 autorickshaws. The remaining three-wheelers are parked on the road sides and in the lanes. The hotels, which have come up in short span of time on Railway Road in view of opening of Udhampur-Katra railway line in near future, have also been adding to the vehicular chaos as half of the road on either side of the divider is being used as parking place by these business establishments.
As far as civic amenities are concerned, the situation is worst as there is no common drain in the town. Only two community toilets have been established to cater to thousands of pilgrims reaching the town every day. Water pipes passing through the heaps of garbage mainly in lanes of the town is a common scene but those responsible for ensuring complete sanitation and all civic amenities seem to be in deep slumber or not ready to perform their duties.
The insanitation in the town is generally attributed to meager financial assistance to the Municipal Committee of Katra. This may be a logical reason for those at the helm of affairs in this civic body but the same doesn’t carry any ground for allowing the famous town to give a pathetic picture to the pilgrims arriving there from different parts of the country and outside.
Shockingly, there is no common sewerage treatment plant despite the fact that there are more than 400 hotels in the town. Despite directions albeit with not much vigor from the concerned agencies, hoteliers have not paid any attention towards the solid waste management. Till the recent past the solid waste being generated by these hotels was being dumped on Katra-Reasi road in the most careless manner but now on the directions of district administration the dumping of the same in the land identified for setting up of common sewerage treatment plant at a different location has begun.
The town has virtually turned into concrete jungle as haphazard expansion is going on in blatant violation of building laws right under the nose of the Municipal authorities and those at the helm of affairs in the Katra Development Authority. Though Housing and Urban Development Department prepared Master Plans for the town yet there was no compliance of the same and it is feared that if unplanned expansion continues the same will prove disastrous for the town.
The town is divided into five zones-two under the Municipal Committee and three under Katra Development Authority. The lack of coordination between these two agencies is giving enough chance for the businessmen to flout the building laws as per their wills and whims. Even the State High Court has taken serious note of this and imposed blanket ban on the construction activities except those projects of Shri Mata Vaishnodevi Shrine Board, which were under construction prior to imposition of ban.
The unplanned growth of the Katra town is going to create major problems especially when trains from different parts of the country would start reaching there in near future. The opening of Udhampur-Katra section would significantly increase the number of pilgrims and put immense pressure on the already inadequate infrastructure.
It has been learnt that District Administration, keeping in view the expected rise in the Army traffic following opening of Udhampur-Katra section, has approached the Railway authorities for creation of separate parking space for Army vehicles. This aspect failed to receive due attention of the Railway authorities when they were constructing parking lot for the civil vehicles. Some amendments in the Katra Development Authority Master Plan have also been sought for creation of more parking places and green zones.
The prevailing chaotic condition in the Katra town demands that all the Government agencies particularly Katra Development Authority, Municipal Committee, Shrine Board, District Administration and Legislators from the district should sit together and chalk out strategy to ensure proper planning and management of the base camp of Shri Mata Vaishnodevi pilgrimage. It is their duty to see that facilities are increased in consonance with the increase in the pilgrimage and pilgrims from different parts of the country carry good impression about the town on their return after paying obeisance to Shri Mata Vaishnodevi.
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According to Rakesh Wazir, Vice-President of Katra Hotels and Restaurant Association, complete failure on the part of concerned Government agencies is responsible for the chaotic condition of holy town. “Had there been proper coordination between all the Government agencies including Municipal Committee and Katra Development Authority Katra town would have been much better as compared to its present condition”, he says.
“Till the recent past Katra Municipal Committee was earning Rs 10 crore to 12 crore per year and but this amount was not utilized for the holistic and planned development of the town”, he further says and adds, “as the pilgrimage is growing every year and is likely to go up considerably following arrival of train all the Government agencies should collectively chalk out a strategy so as to ensure its further development in a planned manner”.
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According to Raman Kumar, a shopkeeper, “we have never witnessed coordination between the Shrine Board, Municipal Committee and Katra Development Authority in the development of the town. All these agencies are toeing their separate lines and ultimately the sufferers are pilgrims and the inhabitants of the town”.
“It is a matter of serious concern that Municipal Committee, whose primary job is to ensure proper sanitation in the town, has failed to perform. The heaps of garbage on the sides of roads and lanes clearly speaks about the performance of the Municipal Committee”, he says and adds, “what do you expect from a municipal body which cannot provide even sanitation”.
He alleges that congestion in the town and inordinate delay in construction of new bus stand is also the outcome of lack of coordination between the Government agencies. “There is administrative failure at every level otherwise this town should have been a well and properly developed town with all facilities”, he adds.
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District Development Commissioner, Reasi, Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary says, “the Union Ministry of Urban Development has recently agreed to sanction Rs 45 crore new bus stand project and it has asked for preparation of Detailed Project Report (DPR), which is being drafted by the Housing and Urban Development Department of State Government”.
As far as solid waste management is concerned, the Union Ministry has sanctioned Rs 12 crore for land management and preparation of Detailed Project Report for the common treatment plant, further says and adds the administration has started video-graphy of existing building laws violations to check further addition in the long list.
“We are making all out efforts to ensure that no pilgrim faces any kind of difficulty and further expansion of the Katra town takes places strictly as per the Master Plan”, Dr Shahid further says.
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