Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 5: Thousands of Kashmiri Pandits and devotees of Mata left for annual Kheer Bhawani Mela to be held at holy shrine of Mata Kheer Bhawani at Tulmulla in Ganderbal district of Central Kashmir tomorrow.
Around 42 SRTC passenger buses carrying the devotees will reach the destination late to night under the security cover to participate Kheer Bhawani annual mela tomorrow and pay their obeisance to Goddess.
Besides, the pilgrims who left for holy shrine in free transport provided by the Government for them, a large numbers of pilgrims are also visiting the Kheer Bhawani in their own cars and taxis.
It is significant to say that this year a large number of Kashmiri Pandits, boycotted the free transport of the State Government.
The protesting Pandits alleged that at their residences in Jagti Township in Jammu they have 16 hours of curtailment amid the sweltering summer, which is an injustice to them. They explained that expenditure on passenger buses can be utilized for providing the facilities in the camps.
Meanwhile authorities have also made elaborate arrangements at the Shrine for the pilgrims tomorrow. Various social organizations have installed their camps for voluntary service to the yatris. Even some political parties and local social organizations of Ganderbal have also installed their stalls to greet the Yatris and provide them all assistance.
“This is a great occasion for us and Muslim brethren are waiting anxiously to greet their Pandit brethren on this day”, said Mir Ghulam Rasool senior leader People’s Conference and a trade unionists whose party has also installed a stall at Tulmulla to greet pilgrims.
The migration of the minority Pandtis was a great big loss to the people of Valley who crave for their return, he said and made an appeal to the Government to preserve their all religious places by fulfilling the community’s demand regarding passage of Shrines Bill. Mir also demanded that pilgrimage be started to other Hindu shrines of Kashmir on the pattern of Kheer Bhawani and his party will extend all support and assistance for the same. He also demanded that the Government should remove all encroachments from religious shrines of Pandits and restore their pristine glory.
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