Excelsior Correspondent
KATRA, Aug 30: Performing of Pooja, Havan, Yagya and several other events marked the celebration of 34th Foundation Day of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board today.
These functions were organised at Bhawan, Adhkuwari, Katra, Jammu and other locations in which the staff of the Shrine Board and a large number of pilgrims participated.
At the culmination of these functions, Prasad was distributed among the pilgrims by the senior most officers of the respective areas and units of the Shrine Board. Employees of the Shrine Board took pledge on this occasion to perform their duties with sincerity and devotion.
Simrandeep Singh, Chief Executive Officer, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, on the occasion impressed upon the staff to work with utmost zeal and dedication for providing continuously improving facilities to the pilgrims visiting the Holy Cave Shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji.
He also gave details of various major infrastructure development projects completed and the facilities put in place by the Shrine Board for facilitation of the pilgrims. This, he said, has resulted in manifold increase in the number of pilgrims visiting the Holy Cave Shrine over the past more than three decades. It is pertinent to recall that the Board was formed on this day in 1986.
At Katra, the main function was held at Niharika Complex where special Pooja and Havan was performed. Simrandeep Singh, Chief Executive Officer of the Shrine Board; Vivek Verma, Additional CEO; Dr. Arvind Karwani, Amit Vermani and Deepak Dubey, Dy. CEOs; Dr. (Brig.) M. M. Harjai, Chief Administrative Officer, SMVDNSH; Naresh Singh, Additional SP, Katra; Rajinder Singh, OSD; Vinay Khajuria, ACF; and other officers and staff of the Shrine Board, besides the pilgrims participated. It was followed by distribution of Prasad. The Pooja, Havan and other religious ceremonies were performed by Gopal Dass Sharma, Head Pujari, Bhawan.