With a continuous ambition of providing added facilities to the pilgrims to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine in Katra, a construction of a spacious building – Durga Bhawan to accommodate more than 2000 pilgrims on a daily average is going on with full speed. Expected to be completed before the year ending, the building when completed, will fulfil one of the basic and main requirements of staying in of the visiting pilgrims and that too at a nominal price. The project costing around Rs.28 crore is with a target to accommodate up to 2500 pilgrims on a daily basis which was bound to give a new shape and structure to the comforts and convenience of the devotee pilgrims. Free accidental insurance cover of Rs.5 lakh to each pilgrim and continuously improved arrangements along the entire track punctuated by important announcements and necessary information like for Aarti etc are keeping the pilgrims physically and mentally more relaxed with concentration on having “Darshan” at the earliest.
A notable feature in respect of providing facilities to the visiting pilgrims is a constant process of review and reappraisal by the Shrine Board of the existing support base and to ensure which types of additions on innovative basis could be arranged. That approach ensures a back to back basis to keep overall arrangements for a smooth yatra for the pilgrims. In the Bhawan which is under construction, provisions for providing locker facilities to keep valuables etc safe and secure by the staying pilgrims coupled with bathing ghats are aimed at making the stay quite pleasant and congenial. Staying without food and water etc is unimaginable which, it may be reiterated, the Shrine Board has been providing like hygienic and homely cooked like food at quite cheap rates along the tracks in its Bhojanalyas. Since the entire area is earthquake prone, necessary arrangements in that respect to ensure full protection to pilgrims like slope stabilization measures, Wire Mesh etc to lessen the impact of landslides, if any, indicate how the Shrine Board is taking each and every aspect connected with the yatra in consideration with an all pronged approach.
In this direction, constant efforts of the Shrine Board to ensure maximum infrastructural support to the existing system for making the yatra up to the last point more facilities oriented supported by introduction of digital support as well is notable. In this connection, it hardly needs to be emphasised about various online services provided to the pilgrims including for the battery driven car services for senior citizens, women and specially abled persons. These measures have been making the devotees’ visit to the Holy Shrine smooth, hassles free and enjoyable. The latest one pertaining to accommodation at quite affordable cost is indeed a big step. Such steps besides, agreeably the element of increased spirit of devotion, are widening the prospects of a constant increase in the volume of the turnover of pilgrims from all over the country including from parts of other countries to the Shrine.
Such measures, on the other hand, are also in recognition of the tremendous role the pilgrimage to the shrine played to bolster the economy of the UT which is primarily tourism oriented including religious tourism, especially the local commercial activities associated with paying obeisance at the holy shrine by the visiting pilgrims. Railways, civil aviation and road transport in particular get widely benefitted due to the Katra bound passengers for paying obeisance at the shrine round the year. It is therefore imperative that not only more and more pilgrims visit the holy town of Katra for paying obeisance at the highly revered shrine but to what extent and how much maximum facilities of all hues are made for the devotee pilgrims. That way, making constant efforts in this direction are directly related to the pilgrimage in totality which goes on all the days of the year.
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