Good Step Indeed

It is really appreciable that the authorities at Katra have been monitoring the situation on a real time basis to ensure convenience and safety of the devotees thronging the holy cave shrine on the auspicious occasion of ongoing Navratras. Reportedly, the Yatra to the holy cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi was suspended on account of heavy rush of devotees at 4 PM on Saturday after the number of pilgrims crossed 40,000. It is pertinent to mention that despite the inclement weather conditions, the devotees of Mata Vaishno Devi flocked to the cave shrine in record numbers and paid obeisance on the first Navrata on March 19, 2026.  To be more precise, over 31,690 pilgrims visited the Vaishno Devi shrine nestled in the Trikuta Hills in Reasi district on the first Navratra on Thursday amid heightened security arrangements. Considering the heavy rush of pilgrims, the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) has reportedly closed the registration counters in Katra which were opened today at 4 AM resuming the Yatra. Such steps are imperative for managing the unprecedented rush and keeping things well under control. There is no doubt that such abrupt disruption in the Yatra causes inconvenience to some devotees as their plans get affected specially in context with the travel reservations but the measure taken by the Shrine Board is necessary to safeguard the interests of the pilgrims as allowing uncontrolled number of people on the Yatra track can prove deleterious as was seen about four years back when twelve devotees were killed and 15 injured in an early-morning stampede at the Bhawan of Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine on January 1, 2022. Therefore people should understand the limitations of the authorities with regard to managing the affairs of Yatra and taking such steps to contain any kind of exigencies.   It is worthwhile to note that the rush has increased due to the ongoing Chaitra Navratri, which began on March 19. Even as the number of devotees remained below the threshold point during the first two days of the Navratri because of bad weather, the rush increased on Saturday on account of the day being sunny and bright. With nearly 32,000 pilgrims paying obeisance at the holy cave shrine on Thursday, the number reportedly increased to 35,000 on Friday and 40,600 on Saturday. The Shrine Board has also put in place comprehensive pilgrim-centric arrangements to ensure a smooth and spiritually enriching Yatra experience, which was the core objective behind the inception of this institution decades ago. As the holy cave shrine is witnessing huge rush on important occasions, it becomes necessary that the Shrine Board should augment facilities in the coming time to cater to the needs of growing number of pilgrims while ensuring safety and convenience.