JK News Today Exclusive
Jammu, Aug 04
one of the most revered Mata Vaishno Devi Pilgrimage may start on August 16 after remaining closed for over four months.
The Chief Secretary of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir BVR Subrahmanyam when contacted by JK News Today on the issue said that the pilgrimage “should start”on 16th August “with an SOP” (standard Operating Procedure– or appropriate restrictions.)
The pilgrimage that attracts over nine million pilgrims annually, was stopped on March 19, 2020 after the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. It is for the first time that the pilgrimage was halted for such a long time.
There may be several restrictions on the number of pilgrims to be allowed daily on 12 kilometers hilly trek from Katra to the Bhawan and also the SOPs to be put in place in the hotels at Katra as also the rest areas enroute the shrine. The shrine is nestled in Trikuta hills at a altitude of 5200 feet above sea level. The government will have to place numerous restrictions at Katra the base camp of the pilgrimage.
