Reasi/Jammu: A shutdown in Katra, the base camp for the Vaishno Devi pilgrimage in Jammu and Kashmir, against a proposed ropeway project entered its second day on Thursday, with protesters sitting on a hunger strike to press for the release of those detained by police a day before.
The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Sangharsh Samiti has called for a 72-hour shutdown, which commenced on Wednesday, announcing that all activities in Katra would remain suspended during the ‘bandh’.
“The bandh will continue until the government shelves the ropeway project. It is an assault on the livelihoods of most Katra residents, who are dependent on the pilgrimage economy,” a Samiti spokesperson said.
Last month, the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board decided to install the ropeway to facilitate access to the temple for senior citizens, children and others who find it difficult to climb the 13-km-long track to the cave shrine.
The Samiti, which claims to represent shopkeepers, pony operators and palanquin owners, claimed that the ropeway would destroy the livelihoods of local business owners and demanded that the project be scrapped.
For the second consecutive day on Thursday, all shops, restaurants and business establishments remained closed and traffic was off the roads in the holy town.
The bandh has affected normal life in Katra.
A Samiti member said that instead of holding talks with them, the administration is using force, including detaining their leaders during a peaceful protest. “They are deliberately creating such a situation with their attitude,” he said.
Six of the protestors sat on a hunger strike on Wednesday night, demanding the release of 18 Samiti members who were detained during a protest march against the ropeway project.
“We demand their release. If the Samiti members were demonstrating peacefully, they should not have been detained. We will continue the hunger strike until those detained individuals are released,” said one of the protestors participating in the hunger strike.
Several protesters, including two leaders of the Samiti — Bhupinder Singh and Sohan Chand — were detained by police and taken away in a police vehicle from the protest site during Wednesday’s march.
In Udhampur, some people held protests against the Shrine Board and the government, criticising their failure to address the demands of Katra residents and seeking the release of the detained individuals.
The proposed Rs 250-crore ropeway project will connect Tarakote Marg to Sanji Chhat, leading to the cave shrine in Reasi district.
Faced with difficulties due to the bandh, the Shrine Board has made arrangements for the boarding and lodging of the pilgrims arriving in the town.
“Over 93 lakh yatris have paid obeisance at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine this year,” said Anshul Garg, CEO of the Shrine Board, on X.
He added that special langars set up by the Shrine Board at the Katra railway station, Banganga and Tarakote are offering tea and milk to pilgrims, ensuring the Yatra continues smoothly on both tracks.
However, pilgrims undertaking the journey to the cave shrine expressed displeasure over the shutdown of eateries and the lack of local transport, which caused significant inconvenience.
“We want the protesters to call off the bandh as it is affecting our pilgrimage. If this continues, there will be cancellations by pilgrims travelling from outside,” said one pilgrim.
Another devotee emphasised that eating points, local transport, and lodges should be kept out of the bandh, as it is causing significant hardship.
“The bandh is causing huge inconvenience to the pilgrims,” another devotee added.
