DH NEWS SERVICE
JAMMU, may 28
Finally, the number of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi pilgrims has started swelling, returning the hustle and bustle back to the Katra town—the base camp of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Bhavan nestled in the Trikuta Hills of Reasi district in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Vaishno Devi yatra witnessed a sudden decline after the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack followed by “Operation Sindoor” launched by India.
“The yatra has started increasing for the last week,” said the Shrine Board official.
He said, “With the rise in numbers, around 18000 to 20000 pilgrims are reaching Katra on a daily basis to visit the Bhawan.”
Along with tight security, the Shrine Board has also made elaborate arrangements for the pilgrims, he said, adding, “The pilgrimage is gaining momentum, and it has crossed 20000 after nearly a month.”
Last month after the Pahalgam terror attack, the business in Katra town remained largely affected.
The Shrine Board and religious bodies vis-a-vis traders community is expecting that the number of devotees will increase further in the summer vacations in schools across India.
Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, on the directives of the Chairman, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, on May 22, has also operationalised the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) at the Spiritual Growth Centre, Katra, to enhance pilgrim safety and security.
The official spokesman said that this state-of-the-art facility utilises a network of 700 CCTV cameras equipped with advanced features like gesture, face recognition and PTZ, enabling real-time monitoring for efficient decision-making and swift response mechanisms in the Shrine area.
Notably, the ICCC will enhance pilgrim safety and security by leveraging advanced technologies like surveillance systems, data analytics and communication networks.
The Shrine Board earlier had also offered free facilities to woo the pilgrims from across the country to the sanctum sanctorum.
To enhance the number of pilgrims, the Shrine Board provided several facilities to the pilgrims free of cost starting from Katra, including free Aarti Darshan and accommodation, while food counters were also established at various places en route to Bhawan, at Banganga and at Katra Railway Station.
The Shrine Board had also announced a free accommodation facility at the Katra-based Ashirwad Complex for the devotees, he said.
By mid-May 15, 5,423 devotees visited the cave shrine, and during the period of escalated tension between India and Pakistan, 45,430 pilgrims offered prayers at the cave shrine from May 6 to 13.
More than 3.5 lakh pilgrims during the Navratras period in April and more than 25 lakh pilgrims paid obeisance till mid-April at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine this year.
