Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 29: Expressing serious concern over the steep decline of pilgrims in the ongoing Shri Amarnath Yatra, president, All Jammu Hotels and Lodges Association (AJHLA), Jammu, Inderjeet Khajuria said that decline of inflow of pilgrims has directly affected the tourism related traders, who are solely dependent on the number of pilgrims.
While addressing a meeting, Khajuria said that after the unfortunate incident of Baltal, which has been engineered by the anti-social and anti national people, the inflow of Yatra has steeply declined as compared with pre-incident influx of the yatra.
“If the Government or Shri Amarnath Shrine Board had extended immediate relief to the victims, whose tents had been gutted, and langer had been damaged for restart, but duo failed to extend the timely help, which has created a sense of insecurity among the pilgrims across the country resulting in decline of pilgrims”, he added.
He also lambasted the State Disaster Management Department, who failed to rehabilitate the langers and tents by providing tents and other necessary items for rehabilitation.
Making a serious suggestion to the Chairman of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board, khajuria said, “If Mahant of Shri Ram Mandir, Purani Mandi, who is presently managing food and shelter to thousands sadhus every day, been nominated in the Shrine Board should have been proved much better than any other sitting members, who collectively failed in discharging their duties”.
He said that Yatra directly depend on the sustainability of Ice Lingam and security but the Board has failed to manage provide the proper security.
He said that base camp of Yatra at Jammu has not been properly managed as Government failed to utilize the 500 kanal land, which is meant to provide facilities to the pilgrims.
He further said that to maintain the substantiality of Ice Lingam, the services of the DRDO and IIT should be utilized only after consulting the prominent Hindu saints and Shankracharyas.

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 29: Thieves decamped with a bag of retired army personnel containing around Rs 1.5 lakh cash near Bus-Stand Jammu.
As per police sources, Suresh Parkash, a resident of Sunderbani, district Rajouri lodged a complaint with Police Station Bus-Stand that some unidentified thieves decamped with his bag containing around Rs 1.5 lakh cash and other credentials, when he was traveling in a bus from Sunderbani to Jammu, near Bus-Stand Jammu.
Accordingly a case under FIR number 44/14 has been registered at Bus-Stand Police Station and manhunt has been launched to nab the thieves.

Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, July 29:  The power supply in Kashmir valley was disrupted last night after high velocity winds uprooted electric poles at many places. The power supply was, however, restored in the morning.
Due to heavy rains and high velocity winds, three residential houses, two buildings and two vehicles got damaged in Khanyar Srinagar.
In another incident several trees fell on National Highway and some electric poles were damaged near gas plant Pampore.
Meanwhile, due to cloud burst  at higher reaches of village Wuyan  in Pampore, a flash flood caused damage to some houses and main road at village Wuyan.

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 29: A deputation of Ajit Colony Gole Gujral visited Daily Excelsior and projected their problems with regard to scarcity of electricity in the area.
The representative of the Colony, Chaman Lal Sharma said that low voltage and unscheduled power cuts have left the residents of the Colony in the lurch and the people are facing multiple problems because of the same, adding that there is only a 200 KV transformer established in the colony, despite a very big area.
Narrating the tale of woes, B L Koul, president of the Colony said that the low voltage and power cuts in sweltering heat and humid conditions has taken a toll on the residents in general and the children and old-aged in particular.
They said that the area is very big and the load is much for the smaller transformer to bear and demanded replacement of the same with a bigger one to solve the problem once for all.

Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, July 29: M.M.Kumar, Chief Justice of the State High Court, keeping aloft the glorious and sublime traditions of communal amity and harmony, today opened doors of his residence, at Sonawar, near Ziarat Hazrat Sheikh Yaqoob, for female folk to offer Namaze Id-ul Fitr.
Right from morning females and children started thronging the residence of the Chief Justice and his residential lawns gave an appearance of riot of colours, as thousands of guests in their colourful dresses poured in to offer Namaz.
The Chief Justice along with his wife welcomed guests and greeted Eid Mubarak to all. There was profound sense of gaiety and vibrations of spiritual delight could be felt all around. The Chief Justice distributed sweets after the Namaz.
Wakaf Authorities and citizens deeply appreciated the noble gesture of the Chief Justice.

Excelsior Correspondent
MANWAL (UDHAMPUR), July 29: A general interaction of residents of Manwal locality was held here by R S Pathania, general secretary, J&K Pradesh Youth Congress where ‘overmedulous’ attitude of ASI authorities at Manwal was discussed threadbare.
Pathania said that ASI has been an utter failure, despite a voluble inflow of funds from Central Government, it has failed to develop Manwal as a state-of-art destination for tourists from across the globe. Also that no compensation has been paid by ASI for lands of local agriculturists and residents acquired since years.
Threatening a massive stir against the ASI authorities, Pathania has called for immediate remedial measures in order to plug over the rot.
Others present on the occasion included Bodh Raj, Mohan Lal, Dewan Singh, Raghubir Singh, Om Parkash, Jagmohan, Bikram Singh, (all Sarpanchs), Bishan Dass, Hem Raj Gupta, Makhan Lal, Vijay Kumar, Narain Dass, Karpal Singh etc.