Protesters took to the streets
Hundreds of traders and workers demonstrated on Sunday, the third day of the bandh, against the proposed ropeway project on the Yatra route to Vaishno Devi temple located on Trikut mountain in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir. The protesters staged a sit-in in front of the sub-district magistrate’s office and Shalimar Park in Katra, which is the base camp of the pilgrims. The protesters raised slogans against the Shrine Board and the cable car project, as they believe it will leave them jobless.
The three-day strike by traders, pony and palanquin owners began on Friday after the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board announced the implementation of the Rs 250-crore passenger ropeway project on the 12 km stretch between Tarakot Marg and Sanjhi Chhat. Officials said protesters held a peaceful demonstration on the traditional travel route and demanded the immediate withdrawal of the proposal or proper rehabilitation of all families affected by the project.
Shops remained closed for the third day
Most of the private shops on the yatra route remained closed for the third day, while pony and palanquin owners did not provide any services to the pilgrims, causing immense hardship to many devotees. However, the journey to the temple continued without interruption.
The interests of workers are also harmed
Jammu and Kashmir Shiv Sena unit chief (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) Manish Sahni joined the protest and supported the demand and said that the ropeway project amounted to hurting the religious sentiments of Hindu devotees. It is also harming the interests of the workers who provide services to the devotees.
Will prepare the strategy
Sonu, who is leading the protest, said, ‘Today we ended our three-day protest with a dharna in front of the Shrine Board office. Leaders leading the movement will prepare future strategies after the strike.
Financial assistance of Rs 20 lakh should be given to each worker.
Congress leader and union president Bhupinder Singh Jamwal reiterated his demand that the government come up with a rehabilitation plan for the affected people. He suggested providing financial assistance of Rs 20 lakh to each worker.
This project has been postponed before too
Let us tell you that last week the Shrine Board announced the implementation of the ropeway project to facilitate safe and speedy travel to the devotees. Shrine Board Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Anshul Garg said, “The ropeway project will prove extremely important, especially for those devotees who find the steep climb up to the temple challenging.” The project had previously been shelved due to similar protests.
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