Protest in Katra against ropeway plan for Vaishno Devi temple
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Vaishno Devi shrine is a very famous temple located atop a hillock (Trikuta Hills) overlooking Katra township in Reasi district of Jammu division. The protesters claim the ropeway will deprive over 60,000 families of their livelihood.
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KATRA (Jammu), Oct 29: Hoteliers, shopkeepers, pony owners and labourers held
a street protest in Katra on Tuesday against the plan for a ropeway to Vaishno
Devi temple.
Vaishno Devi shrine is a very famous temple located atop a hillock (Trikuta
Hills) overlooking Katra township in Reasi district of Jammu.
The protesters sat on a dharna carrying banners saying “No to Ropeway”, and
raised slogans demanding that the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board drop the
proposed ropeway project. They said the protests will continue until the ropeway
project is shelved. An indefinite hunger strike is planned.
The protesters claim the ropeway will deprive over 60,000 families of their
livelihood.
The Rs 250-cr ropeway will connect Katra base camp with Sanjichhat, over a
12-km steep track to the cave shrine. Sanjichhat is a platau 2.5 km away from
the temple where helicopters land. From Sanjichhat pilgrims reach the temple
on foot or ponies or palanquins. Work has started on the new project. The project
will create a new gondola system (cable car) to reduce the 12 km trek to a 6-8
minute ride. It is scheduled to be completed by June 2027 and operations to
start in 2028.
New Tarakote Marg
There are multiple routes to Vaishno Devi. The traditional route is Katra-Banganga-Charan
Paduka-Adhkuwari-Himkoti- Sanjichhat-Bhawan. The starting point of the 12 km
yatra is Banganga, 1.5 km from Katra main city. A second route, the Tarakote
Marg is a new, concreted, comfortable 7-km track merging with the old trekking
route near Adhkuwari. The route is: Katra-Tarakote-Adhkuwari-Himkoti-Sanjichhat-Bhawan.
Katra to Tarakote Marg Gate is 2.5 km. A third route is helicopter service (Katra
to Sanjichhat, followed by a 2.5 trek to the Bhawan). A fourth way is battery
car route from Himkoti to Bhawan. A fifth route is a ropeway (cable car) from
Bhawan to Bhairon temple (3 minutes, Rs 100) situated on an adjacent hill where
trekking is too harduous (a steep one-hour trek). The Vaishno Devi pilgrimage
is said to be incomplete without a darshan at Bhairon temple.
The new Tarakote Marg (Banganga to Adhkuwari) is 6-metre wide, 7 km pedestrian-only
track with a ramp-type design and no steps. It is made of anti-skid tiles, easier
for walking. The amenities include covered shelters, two 'bhojanalayas', seven
toilet blocks, medical units and 16 water ATMs for free filtered drinking water.
Ponies, porters or battery cars are not allowed.
This track, completed in 7 years costing Rs 80 cr and opened in May 2018, was
laid as an alternative to the older, traditional trekking route (via Charan-paduka)
which allows services like ponies and porters, but has been temporarily closed
due to landslides.
Siar Dabri-Bhawan Material Ropeway
In order to decongest the traditional route, where the temple was using mules
and carts to transport its goods for daily use, a ropeway was built and opened
on the same day, in May 2018, as Tarakote Marg—Siar Dabri-Bhawan Material Ropeway
(between Siar Dabri, near Katra, and the shrine), an electrically operated ropeway
system. It transports materials like food, construction supplies, and prasad
from Siar Dabri to the Bhawan (shrine) and carry scrap and waste materials back.
Last November also, the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Sangharsh Samiti had held a
week-long bandh to protest against new ropeway plan.
How to reach Vaishno Devi
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