SASB clarifies issues related to tent, shop permissions

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 9: Clarifying the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board position over media reports regarding protests by some people against certain unreasonable conditions for granting tents and shop permission for the Yatra 2013, P P Singh, Additional CEO, SASB today said that Deputy Commissioners Anantnag and Ganderbal were the authority for these permissions.
He referred to the Supreme Court constituted SHPC Report wherein it is stated that a committee headed by the concerned Deputy Commissioner should grant permission for pitching tents only after verifying the quality of the same. Accordingly, a benchmark tent was identified by DC Anantnag Farooq Ahmed Shah costing around Rs 18000 per unit only and not Rs. 35,000 as mentioned in the news report, R P Singh added.
The Additional CEO further clarified that no condition has been prescribed that every person desirous of seeking permission to install tents has to buy a new one. If a person is already having a reasonable quality of tent which matches the quality prescribed this year, the Inspection Committee will clear such a tent while issuing permission. Only those persons having poor quality/torn tents would need to buy tents of the specified quality, he added.
The Additional CEO mentioned that representatives and delegations of tent owners association have repeatedly met the CEO and most of their issues regarding production of documents, date for filing applications etc have already been resolved. In case, they still have any other grievance, they could contact the concerned Deputy Commissioner, who is the final authority for granting such permissions, for the redressal of their grievances.