Haridwar MP and ex-CM Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has slammed the State Government for having failed to provide basic amenities to the Nanda Raj Jat Yatra pilgrims. The State had allocated Rs 80 crore to the PWD and Rs 25 crore to the State tourism department. He demanded the State Government to release a White Paper detailing how the allocated funds were spent.
He further alleged that the State Government had invited the people through the media to join the Yatra and later failed to provide necessary infrastructure and facilities to them. As a Member of Parliament, he had visited four halts — Mundoli, Wan, Gairoli Patal and Vedini Bugyal — and found the State Government’s arrangements were woefully short of the requirements.
For instance, Wan known as the last frontier village of India is well connected with roads. “The pilgrims had harrowing time, grappling with three to four kilometer- long traffic snarl. It took seven to eight hours to untangle it. Compounding on their predicament, the administration did not provide water to the stuck-up devotees,” he said, taking further umbrage at the State Government on the sensitive issue.
In Patal, they did not provide tents to the palanquin bearers. Unhappy with things meted out to them, they shouted slogans against the State Government. Nanda Raj Jat Committee officials merely sounded displeased with the scanty arrangements. However, we consoled them on their plight. Although Dr Nishank appreciated the presence of NDRF he said in the same breath that medical facility was conspicuously absent along the tortuous Yatra routes.
Following the State Government’s generous invitation to be part of the Nanda Devi Raj Jat Yatra, a large number of devotees visited to pay their obeisance to Maa Nanda. Over 15,000 devotees had registered themselves before the administration at Vedini Bugyal at a time when the Yatra was nearing its end-just two days left. later, the administration changed tack and stopped fresh registration, saying things were in doldrums. Despite all this, around 50,000 devotees managed to reach to receive the Yatra. later they realised to their woe that the State Government had made arrangements for just 5,000 devotees. The result was chaos. Those who could not find shelter were left to fend for themselves. They kept on loafing around in that bone-chilling cold.
Reacting to the Chief Minister Harish Rawat’s comment that things this time were far better than what they were in 2,000 when Dr Nishank was in-charge of the Nanda Devi Raj Jat Yatra, Dr Nishank said that then Member of Parliament Manohar Kant Dhyani had given Rs one crore to the committee and even then MP Maj Gen Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri had given Rs one lakh from his MPlAD fund. He challenged the State Government to come out clean with facts and figures. “Better clarify things than going for comparison,” he said.