Excelsior Correspondent
KATRA, Dec 10: Governor N N Vohra, Chairman of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, visited the shrine and reviewed arrangements for the pilgrims and status of implementation of major development works, particularly the completion of the Tarakote Marg.
The Governor also sought a report from the CEO about the difficulties caused to the pilgrims because of the replacement of the Rs 500 and Rs 1000 currency notes and how the same were being dealt with.
A K Sahu, Chief Executive Officer of the Shrine Board, informed the Governor that in the wake of Government’s decision to replace the currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 denominations, the Board had taken various measures, which include; installing Point of Sale (POS) Machines at all the Booking Counters, Bhojanalayas all along the track, and at the Shrine Board’s various accommodation units in Jammu and Katra; providing photo copying facilities to the pilgrims at Niharika Complex and Bhawan for copying of forms and Identity Cards which were required to be done by the pilgrims for exchanging their old currency notes from the local bank branches; accepting old currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 denominations at any of the Bhojanalayas, Booking Counters, Sales and Donation Counters and at the Board’s various accommodation units, etc.
Informing that full record is being maintained of the currency notes being received on daily basis, the CEO said that during the last 30 days, since demonetization, a total of Rs 1.90 crore of the old currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 denominations have been found in the Donation Boxes and these have been duly deposited in the Bank. The old currency notes are still being found in the Donation Boxes installed at various locations but their number has reduced considerably while as a measure of abundant caution, the old notes are being deposited in the Board’s Bank account only after scrutiny and prior approval of the Board’s Chief Accounts Officer, he added and further said that an Advisory was issued by the Board, in the shape of a pamphlet, and displayed at different locations along the track as well as at Niharika, Adhkuwari, Bhawan and at each of the accommodation and other units, which advises the pilgrims not to put old currency notes in the Donation Boxes.
As the daily collections are deposited in the Bank, the very next day, on 8th November 2016, there was only one day’s donation amount which was pending for deposit in the Shrine Board bank account, the CEO said.
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