Picture : Twitter/ ANI
After the unfortunate stampede at the Mata Vaishno Devi hill shrine which claimed 12 lives on the first day of New Year 2022 , authorities are now taking no chances and have now tightened arrangements with full deployment of security personnel.
As per PTI report, It also announced a slew of steps to prevent any congestion at the temple complex as the rush of pilgrims continued. A high-powered probe committee set up by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha visited the site and appealed to the general public to share videos, statements or any other evidence about the incident.
Sinha chaired the first meeting of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board after the stampede and several decisions were taken to ensure the safety of devotees, including provision for 100 percent online registration. More than 27,000 pilgrims had visited the cave shrine on Saturday, while over 15,000 visited on Sunday till 6 PM, according to officials.
Katra, Jammu & Kashmir: Pilgrims queue up outside Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan to offer prayers at the shrine.
12 pilgrims died & 15 got injured in the stampede that occurred at the Bhawan yesterday, January 1 pic.twitter.com/1diW6uVLmE
— ANI (@ANI) January 2, 2022
The yatra that registered a footfall of over 55.77 lakh in 2021, compared to 17 lakh the previous year due to the coronavirus pandemic, was going on smoothly, they said. Twelve people lost their lives and 16 others were injured in the stampede in the early hours of Saturday after a scuffle between two groups of pilgrims during the New Year rush. Many eyewitnesses said that there was overcrowding as people were staying back on the shrine premises after darshan instead of returning to the base camp at Katra.
It was the first such tragedy at the revered shrine, located atop the Trikuta hills in Reasi district, where pilgrims reach after a 13-km trek. “Directions issued for physical and systematic improvements wherever required after critical examination, augmentation of infrastructure, online booking to be made 100 percent,” LG Sinha said in a series of tweets after the meeting which was attended by senior officials, including Board’s Chief Executive Officer Ramesh Kumar.
