In the backdrop of tragedy that stuck the cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi on early January 1 in which 12 pilgrims were killed while 16 others were hurt and amid spike in Covid cases across the country, the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board that manages the Yatra has decided to dispense with the offline registration as has made booking of Yatra 100% through online mode only.
On the New Years’ Day at least 12 devotees died and 16 were injured in a stampede at the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine. The incident took place due to a huge rush of devotees, outside the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine. A day after the incident in a special meeting of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) led by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, the Board has directed the Chief Executive Officer, Shrine Board for taking urgent action on diverse fronts including effective crowd management, augmentation of infrastructure, making booking of yatra 100% through online mode; working out plans for decongestion of the entire track, particularly the Bhawan area, separation of entry and exit routes at Bhawan.
CEO SMVDSB, Ramesh Kumar said, “The decision of making booking of yatra 100% through online mode was taken in the recent meeting. The decision will be implemented fully in coming days. However for the time being the booking counter at base camp Katra will remain functional for few days, as devotees in other parts of country may be unaware of this decision. However gradually the booking will be made 100% online mode either by visiting the Mata Vaishno Devi web site or through Mobile App”.
Shrine Board Administration has set up Yatra Registration Centers in Jammu including Base Camp Katra. The main hub is at the main bus stand of Katra. Apart from this, there is a registration center at the entrance of Niharika Complex, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Railway Station, Interstate Bus Stand, Counter No. 2, Helipad, Tarakote Marg in Katra. Apart from this, Shrine Board has also set up a registration center at Vaishnavi Bhawan in Jammu. Tatkal passenger slip is available in all these centres. These centers remain open from 5 am to 10 pm.
The decision will affect a section of pilgrims who do not posses smart phones. Such people who are intending to undertake pilgrimage will now be relying on cyber cafes and other sources for securing yatra slips. The new directive which will add to the business of cyber cafes will make yatra a touch expensive as some amount will be charged from them.
In the meeting the Lt Governor emphasized on appropriate use of technology and putting in place RFID Tracking system for effective crowd and queue management. The Lt Governor advised for roping in technical experts and adopting best crowd management practices. The CEO was asked to consider resumption of the token/group number system that was discontinued six years ago.
The Board discussed the modalities for suspension bridge and skywalk for effective queue management, besides identifying more halting spots to cater to large crowd at Bhawan and Katra.
Meanwhile, local traders and businessmen of Katra expressed resentment as they were of the view that with this abrupt decision of the Board their businesses would suffer in a big way.
They asked the Board authorities to review the decision and appealed Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to intervene so that the existing process of offline registration for Yatra should also continue.
They further said that despite online registration of tickets in Railways, the people can also take tickets offline for the journey. In the similar fashion, the process of offline registration for Vaishno Devi yatra should continue.
