Rana meets Governor, seeks immediate intervention to counter NGT directives

Governor N N Vohra and NC Provincial President Devender Singh Rana during a meeting at Raj Bhavan, Jammu.
Governor N N Vohra and NC Provincial President Devender Singh Rana during a meeting at Raj Bhavan, Jammu.

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 25: Taking strong exception to unwarranted interference of the National Green Tribunal into matters of faith, National Conference Provincial President Devender Singh Rana today sought intervention of Governor N. N Vohra in getting the illogical directives on the revered pilgrimages of Shri Amarnathji and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi ji revoked.
In a meeting with the Governor at Raj Bhavan this evening, Rana gave a historical perspective of the conduct of these two pilgrimages and sentiments of Hindus attached with these besides their economic impact.
Rana expressed gratitude to the Governor, who is also Chairman of Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, for taking note of the massive concern shown by various socio-political organizations, including National Conference, and convening the Board meeting early next month to review the developments taking place in the wake of NGT directives.
He told the Governor that one after another directive over the conduct of these pilgrimages is intriguing. He said the subsequent flip-flop and clarifications offered by the NGT make the developments mysterious and it is time the Shrine Boards rein in to counter the ill-effects of illogical directives. He said the boards have to take due care of religious concerns attached to these shrines.
Expressing concern over the fallout of NGT directions on the local economies, Rana said these most popular pilgrimages are source of sustenance to thousands of families across the State, directly and indirectly. National Conference MLA referred to the anxieties of the ponywallas and other stakeholders in Katra and said they had become restive lately due to direct threat to their avocations. He said reduction in the number of pilgrims to Mata Vaishno Devi will be colossal loss to religious pilgrims in the region.
He said the economic dividends of pilgrim tourism in Jammu have been impressive. The pilgrimage to Mata Vaishno Devi has hugely brought economic gains to locals, he said, adding that imposition of riders will impact these, leading to adverse impact on economy.
As regards the eco-concerns of Shri Amarnathji Yatra, the Provincial President said the SASB has inherent mechanism to address to the concerns and therefore there is no need for any outside agency to interfere. He wondered over the directive about maintaining silence before the holy Shivlingam in the cave sanctum sanctorum, saying it betrays logic as outpouring of mantras during the course of darshan is natural manifestation of sentiments and therefore the mouths cannot be ordered to be shut or stitched. He said these issues should be left to the sane counseling of religious and spiritual scholars under the aegis of the Board.
Rana requested the the Governor that nothing less than rolling back of the NGT directives on both the pilgrimages will assuage the anger among devout.