The big question that comes to mind while looking at the government’s adamant stand on constructing the Vaishno Devi Ropeway is why despite the contrary stand taken by the majority of stakeholders including the locals and business bodies, the people at helm wanted to go ahead with this project?
After all, the significance of this pilgrimage is associated with the hardships which the devotees face before getting a chance to pay obeisance at the world famous Cave Shrine as the slogans raised along the way to Shrine suggests ‘Paudi Paudi Charda Ja, Jai Mata Di Karda Ja’, ‘Hathi Matha Bhar Latha’, and many more. What the Shrine Board wants in this very case is to ferry the devotees straight from the base camp to near the Bhawan bypassing the surface routes through the proposed ropeway project killing the essence of spiritualism which is embedded in the arduous journey itself, where every step, every pause, and every moment of self-repentance brings the pilgrim closer to inner purification and divine connection.
Though the people connected with this arduous pilgrimage have been protesting mainly because the move to construct the Rs 250-crore ropeway project connecting Tarakote Marg to Sanji Chhat along the 12-kilometre-long steep track to the cave shrine in Reasi shall affect their livelihoods and businesses which were established in the region with a course of several centuries but the decision of the government if becomes a reality, it will also make the process of visiting this cave shrine akin to visiting a temple without any extraordinary effort.
It is pertinent to mention that the hardships faced by devotees in visiting the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine and Shri Amarnathji Cave makes the pilgrimage special for the devotees and therefore the people at helm should revisit their decision on setting up ropeway project or any other mean to transport devotees right upto the Bhawan. This is unjustified and unnecessary.
It is pertinent to mention here that the locals have staged a protest in Katra against proposed Vaishno Devi ropeway project and threatened to resume a chain hunger strike if the project is not shelved. They have claimed that the ropeway would impact the livelihoods of over 60,000 families, especially hoteliers, shopkeepers, pony operators, and labourers.
There is another big issue connected with this proposal and that is the environmental and ecological impacts, because such so-called development projects critically affect the environment with loss of trees and displacement of aboriginal species of animals and birds. Besides, the damage which the concrete infrastructure causes to the environment is also known to one and all therefore it is advisable to revisit the decision and give a second thought to this controversial project likely to affect so many entities.
