With the beginning of the nine-day long Navratri festival, the two month long ‘dry spell’ ended after an estimated 1 lakh pilgrims flocked Katra in the last 24 hours to perform special prayers inside the sanctum sanctorum of Mata Vaishno Devi Cave Shrine, nestled in Trikuta hills.
After revocation of the Article 370 and bifurcation of the State into two Union Territories on August 5, the pilgrim traffic to the cave shrine had declined drastically. A total number of 6.02 lakhs pilgrims visited Katra in the month of August, recording an average footfall between 13,000 to 18,000 on daily basis.
Simrandeep Singh, Chief Executive Officer, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board Sunday told The Pioneer, “ an estimated 1 lakh pilgrims have so far registered themselves to perform the pilgrimage in the last 24 hours”.
He said, ahead of the Navratri festival, 45,000 pilgrims arrived in Katra on Saturday. On Sunday, over 50, 000 pilgrims were expected to register themselves at the registration counters, he added. “We are expecting a rush of around 4 lakh pilgrims to visit cave shrine during the nine day long Navratri festival”.
To woo the pilgrims from different parts of the country, the cave shrine was tastefully decorated with with imported flowers and fresh fruits. The 13 km long yatra track has also been beautifully decorated and illuminated to create a spiritually stimulating atmosphere for the pilgrims.
Gold plated entrance gates, installed at the front of the 96 feet long traditional cave, are going to be an added attraction for lakhs of pilgrims offering prayers inside the sanctum sanctorum during Navratas this year.
A large army of around 400 workers worked day and night to decorate the bhawan shrine and erected several gates to welcome the pilgrims.
Earlier, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Dr Jitendra Singh and Advisor to Governor, KK Sharma inaugurated the Navratri festival in Katra.
The inaugural ceremony was marked with traditional prayers and a colourful cultural bonanza comprising dances presented by the artists from all over the country.
The inaugural ceremony was also attended by Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Sanjeev Verma and Deputy Commissioner Reasi, Indu Kanwal Chib besides other senior officers.
Elaborate security arrangements have been made to ensure safety and security of pilgrims reaching katra, base camp of shrine. The police and shrine board authorities are mostly relying on third eye (cctv cameras) to keep track of the suspicious movement of miscreants and for better management of the yatra rush. To boost pilgrim traffic in the region, the railway ministry is scheduled to start ‘Vande Bharat’ train services between New Delhi to Katra to enable pilgrims to reach Katra in the shortest possible time of 8 hours from October 3.
On the occasion,Advisor to Governor, KK Sharma informed that the State Government has passed a proposal of Rs 98 crore for Rejuvenation plan for Ban Ganga stream and its DPR has been forwarded to the Union Government. ‘To prevent flow of waste and sewage into Ban Ganga, 3 major sewage treatment plants and 1 small STP is coming up around Katra soon’, he added.
KK Sharma announced that soon a separate CEO for Katra Municipal Committee would be appointed. He divulged that more funds would be released for holistic development of the town.
