Katra Aug 16 :- To commemorate the monumental occasion of 75th anniversary of India’s Independence under the aegis of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, Sh. Anshul Garg, Chief Executive Officer, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board hoisted the tricolour amid rains with traditional fervor and patriotism at Katra, the base town for pilgrimage to the Holy Cave Shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji.
The main function at Katra was held at the Shrine Board’s Sports Complex, where Chief Executive Officer, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, took salute at an impressive march-past by the contingents drawn from J&K Police, CRPF, NCC Boys and Girls, Scouts and Guides at the Sports Complex, besides the students of various educational institutions. The rain did not dampen the spirits of either the students or the people, who were present till the main function ended. The cultural programmes were shifted to Spiritual Growth Centre, Katra.
Speaking on the occasion, Sh. Anshul Garg greeted the people and dedicated this Mahotsav to the people of India who have been instrumental in bringing India this far in its evolutionary journey. Paying rich tributes to the freedom fighters, the CEO said that the Nation owes gratitude to these great leaders who sacrificed their lives to secure freedom from foreign rule.
He thanked the government of India for the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign bringing the flag home collectively as a nation in the 75th year of independence which became symbolic of not only an act of personal connection to the Tiranga but also an embodiment of our commitment to nation-building.
CEO asserted the benefits of many government schemes initiated had now reached the doorsteps of people including Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) to provide Functional Household Tap Connection to every rural household i.e. Har Ghar Nal Se Jal (HGNSJ) by 2024, besides, the construction of six-lane Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway by which the travel time from Delhi to Vaishno Devi will be reduced to six hours only.
He also gave details of various major infrastructure development projects already completed by the Shrine Board, ongoing and those in the pipeline, besides high-tech crowd management initiatives taken by the Shrine Board. He said that Shrine Board has been developing and continually upgrading the pilgrim-centric facilities and in this context efforts are being made to create modern facilities like Durga Bhawan, Skywalk, Spiritual theme park, New Locker facility, hi-tech services like RFID tag, CCTV surveillance for safety, security and pleasant divine experience of devotees. Besides, efforts are ongoing to enlarge the staff accommodation at various sectors of the Shrine Board.
While speaking on the upcoming Durga Bhawan, he contended that Lieutenant Governor, Sh. Manoj Sinha, Chairman Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board has been laying very high priority to the speedy enlargement of the logistical framework and accordingly aiming at accentuating additional facilities for meeting the accommodation needs of the pilgrims, Durga Bhawan is upcoming shortly for pilgrims visiting the Holy Shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji. It will accommodate nearly 2000 pilgrims every day by maximizing space utilization which significantly enlarges the logistical framework for the pilgrims in the Bhawan area.
On construction of Sky Walk, he said that on its completion there will be decongestion of traffic for the devotees to ensure their easy crossover and to overcome the problem of multidirectional movement at Bhawan. The Chief Executive Officer also underscored the development of a Spiritual Theme Park by the Shrine Board around Katra. He said that having such a facility would prolong the stay of pilgrims, giving a fillip to the town’s economy.
The Chief Executive Officer asserted that the safety and security of pilgrims is top priority of Shrine Board and in this endeavor, for the purpose of real-time tracking of pilgrims on the track, ensure proper crowd management and to manage registration of pilgrimage in seamless / hassle free way, the Shrine Board has started RFID based yatra access cards for the registration and verification of pilgrims desirous of visiting the Holy Shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji. These cards shall be mandatory for every pilgrim for commencing the yatra. He further added that the RFID Card is free of cost for the pilgrims and it has to be worn throughout the track for its validation at verification counters established at various identified locations enroute Bhawan. This RFID card is to be mandatorily returned at the exit points after the culmination of Yatra.
He further contended that the arrangement is established to upgrade the current system of yatra registration by way of head count of pilgrims at any particular location on the track, verification of issued RFID cards at various checkpoints, managing the flow of pilgrims strictly as per the holding capacity of the track/area/location etc. The system of RFID tracking of pilgrims also includes e-surveillance in the main control room at Katra with proper end-to-end MIS reporting on real time basis for ensuring proper crowd management on the track enroute Holy Shrine.
The CEO also remarked that the focus on environmental preservation is continuing to be accorded very high priority by the Shrine Board and towards the furtherance of this objective, plantation of Trikuta Hills has been undertaken on a very large scale by planting 1.25 lakh saplings, besides, rejuvenation of Banganga rivulet.
CEO also highlighted yet another initiative of Shrine Board to its prasadam’s list by launching Panch Mewa Parsad priced at an affordable cost of Rs. 25/- per pkt. available for convenience of the devotees at counters established by Shrine Board at Darshani Deodi, Banganga/Tarakote ,Helipad and can be booked via the official website of the Shrine Board.
The students of various educational institutions presented a colorful cultural programme on this occasion based on the theme of patriotism, national integration and spirit displayed in unison to fight Covid-19. Sh Anshul Garg also gave away prizes and appreciation to the outstanding staff of Shrine Board in the categories of Sanitation (Swachhta Mitra) Enforcement & Security (Seva Mitra) and Disaster Management (Aapda Mitra), besides, to Students who were adjudged best in the march-past and presentation of cultural programme.
Among those present on the occasion were Vimal Indu, President, Municipal Committee, Katra; Navneet Singh, Additional CEO of the Shrine Board; Angrej Singh, SDM, Katra; Amit Bhasin, Addl. SP, Katra; Yad Ram Bunker, Commandant, 6th Bn. CRPF; Dr. Sunil Sharma and Dr. Jagdish Mehra, Jt. CEOs; Vishavjeet Singh and Chander Parkash, Dy CEOs; Mahesh Sharma, FA/Chief Accounts Officer; Ajay Salaan Asstt. CEO, Managers, Engineers and staff of the Shrine Board. Others who participated in the function included Members of Municipal Committee, Katra, Civil, Police and Security Forces Officers, Prominent Citizens, Heads of various Educational Institutions, Media Persons, a large number of people of the area, teachers, school children and the pilgrims.
As part of the Independence Day celebrations, Sh. Anshul Garg, also hoisted the tricolour at the Central Office of the Shrine Board at Katra.
Download The Earth News App
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.espalearn.theearthnews
