Excelsior Correspondent
KATRA, Nov 22: Up in arms against the proposed ropeway to Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan, shopkeepers, ponywalas, and pithuwalas along the pilgrimage track, observed a complete shutdown.
A call for 72-hour bandh was given yesterday by the local traders and service providers.
All the local establishments along the track from Ban Ganga to Charan Paduka remained closed while pony and pithuwalas also suspended their services to voice their opposition to the project.
The protesting stakeholders assembled at Charan Paduka and moved through Ban Ganga towards Katra base camp where a massive demonstration was held amid shouting of slogans.
The demonstrators expressed their strong resentment against the proposed ropeway project stating that the same would not only render them jobless but also disrupt the traditional pilgrimage experience.
They argued that walking the yatra, as practiced by elders and children for generations, holds spiritual significance that should not be undermined.
Protestors further said that the ropeway bypasses important religious sites along the track, thereby trivializing the sacred nature of the journey. They accused the Shrine Board of prioritizing commercialization over tradition and warned of severe consequences if the decision to install the ropeway is not reversed.
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