Every year, lakhs of devotees plan to pay obeisance at pilgrim places despite the most difficult terrain and almost negligible facilities. In between, some major tragic incidents do happen, like the Kedarnath flooding in 2013 or, more recently, the Amarnath tragedy of last year. But despite these horrifying incidents, these pilgrimage places haven’t lost their significance. The present GoI, keeping in mind difficult terrain, the condition of roads, all-weather accessibility, and the comfort of devotees, conceived the Char Dham (Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunothri, and Gangothri) Yatra Project, a twelve thousand crore project with a road network of 890 km in all. The work is on a war footing and is expected to be completed in time. Like Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunothri, and Gangothri, we have Shri Amarnath ji in Jammu and Kashmir, which is considered one of the major pilgrimage shrines located at a height of 3888 meters from the sea level. The shrine is covered with snow except for a small window of a few days when this yatra is conducted every year, spanning initially 20 days and now 60 days. From a few thousand pilgrims in the 1980s, the number of pilgrims has now grown to lakhs. Keeping in mind the most difficult terrain to travel and the absence of a proper track, several deaths occur as the endurance of the journey is too much for an ordinary human body to bear. Several restrictions have been imposed, including the requirement of a medical certificate from a medical board before commencing the yatra. The LG himself visited the site after the tragedy and was dismayed by the track condition and subsequent dangers involved on the entire stretch of the yatra. After last year’s yatra mishap and the hardships faced every year, the LG Administration has decided to go for a proper road on the pattern of the Char Dham Yatra. NHDICL has already made the plan, and if approved by the GoI, proper road connectivity will be ready within five years. It is a historic decision, and the LG Administration is making every effort to improve facilities for pilgrims to make their journey memorable. Two more Yatri Niwas are in progress at Baltal and Chanderkot, along with the office of the SASB at Pantha Chowk. The proposed road route is from Pahalgam via Panjtarni and Sangam to Baltal. The only concern is the fragile environment and ecology of the region. All aspects have to be properly evaluated by experts with proper scientific data to back up the clearances, and the utmost precautions have to be taken not to bypass any norm to create a situation of mortification later on. The administration must also plan some prefabricated structures for lodging pilgrims instead of the tents provided now, as the place is too cold for a tent stay. With easily accessible road connectivity, more pilgrims will throng the cave, meaning more waste material to manage. Everything has to be taken care of and only after proper backup plans project can be started. Unlike the NH-44 condition, where NHIDCL hasn’t been able to complete road widening even after ten years, the same experiment cannot be repeated at Shri Amarnath Ji Road. The intentions are clear; the need of the hour is to go forward with such a project, but only with the utmost precautions. Srinaga
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