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Journalism of Courage
Traders in Jammu’s Katra town observed a shutdown on Wednesday (December 18) as they protested against the Shri Mata Vaishnodevi Shrine Board’s decision to install a ropeway project to facilitate the journey to the shrine.
The shutdown followed calls from the Shri Mata Vaishnodevi Sangarsh Samiti, which claims to represent local businesses and workers. “The Sangharsh Samiti is fighting for our rights as the board is out to snatch the bread and butter of over 60,000 families. Everyone — hoteliers, shopkeepers, pony operators, labourers and transporters — has come out to the streets against the ropeway project. We want the project to be shelved,” Bhupinder Singh Jamwal, president of the Vaishno Devi Trek Mazdoor Union, told reporters.
The ropeway will connect Tarakote, on the outskirts of Katra, with Sanjichhat, located 2.5 km from the shrine. The Sangarsh Samiti has suspended its agitation until December 23, saying it will wait for the shrine board to reconsider its decision. Here is what to know.
To be installed at a cost of Rs 300 crore in the Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode, the proposed ropeway aims to reduce the journey time on the 14 km-long trek to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine. Currently, it takes around six to seven hours to travel on foot. This will reduce to less than an hour.
Shri Mata Vaishnodevi Shrine Board Chief Executive Officer Anshul Garg said the ropeway will take only six minutes from Katra to Sanjichhat. One could then reach the shrine after walking for 30-45 minutes.
With December 2026 as the project deadline, it will have the capacity to carry 1,000 people in an hour and will cater to the ever-increasing rush of pilgrims. It also aims to make the journey safer and more inclusive for millions of devotees visiting the shrine annually. Last year, more than 95 lakh pilgrims paid obeisance at the shrine, with the number likely having crossed one crore this year.
Given these numbers, the shrine board has long felt the need for a ropeway. With the UT’s Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha as the body’s chairperson, the board entered into an agreement with the Gurgaon-based G R Infrastructure Limited earlier this year and work started on it in October.
The shopkeepers and hoteliers in Katra and Ban Ganga, which is another religious site devotees visit en route to the shrine, have lodged their opposition. Others include ponywallas, pithus (porters) and those providing palanquin services along the traditional route.
The Katra Vyapar Mandal said the ropeway will adversely hit the business prospects of the small commercial establishments en route to the shrine, due to their dependence on the visitors for their livelihood.
J&K Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti also wrote to the L-G against the project and later met the protesters. She told reporters, “The livelihood of shopkeepers, labourers and others are linked to the pilgrimage and they are bound to face a lot of problems. The government should think that it is a religious place and be treated like one instead of converting it into a tourism spot.”
Board officials have pointed to the likely benefits of the project, saying it will provide stunning views of the Trikuta Hills, enhance the spiritual and scenic experience for pilgrims, and help senior citizens and those with other medical conditions undertake the pilgrimage.
They said the board was committed to addressing the concerns of local stakeholders. The ropeway will increase the number of pilgrims visiting the shrine and the business and job opportunities for locals will also grow, they have claimed.
Ever since Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board took over management of the yatra and the shrine in 1986, the number of pilgrims visiting has increased significantly. In 1986, around 13 lakh people visited the shrine.
The increasing numbers since then have been credited, in part, to the board improving the traditional yatra track, construction of new tracks, construction of boarding and lodging facilities, and health infrastructure among various other facilities. It has also been a boon to the hotel industry in Katra, where shops are kept open 24×7.
