Prabhu Dayal
Kathua, July 10: Amidst the ongoing mob violence in Kashmir valley, the Amarnath Yatra remained suspended for the second day. However, hundreds of on-way pilgrims of Shri Amarnath Yatra were stopped at Lakhanpur by the District administration of Kathua without at facility and short term arrangements for their interim halt.
While the state government has time and again announced many times about having adequate arrangements for the Amarnath Yatri at various places, it was strange idea to let the Yatris abandoned instead of providing them appropriate shelters and basic necessities.
Many pilgrims were interviewed by the Northlines Kathua correspondent who reported that many police and civil officials of the district administration have advised the pilgrims to return back to their homes as the administration can neither allow them to proceed nor provide any shelter, food or other facilities. Reports said many pilgrims on this irresponsible advice have returned back to their respective states on Sunday.
And those who stayed back objected to irresponsible attitude of the District Administration of Kathua and alleged that they are forced to face lot of problems with lack of food, water, shelter at Lakhanpur on Sunday. On the behalf of all resenting pilgrims, one Rajinder Kumar alleged that at Lakhanpur no arrangement has been made for the pilgrims due to which they are suffering. There are no toilets, shelter and food arrangement and all the pilgrims are forced to prepare their own food at way side of the National Highway Lakhanpur. They are also asked for paying Yatra tax when the pilgrims are not allowed to move for Yatra because of Kashmir turmoil. They urged the administration to make an arrangement for all the pilgrims so that they could stay till Yatra restarts.
