The frequent stalling of the pilgrimage to cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi in Reasi’s Katra town on account of advisory issued regarding inclement weather has not only disrupted the Yatra but has severely affected the business in the base camp and the livelihood of those who entirely depend on the arrival of devotees.
It is pertinent to mention that the Yatra was suspended again for three days from October 5, in view of bad weather advisory after a complete shut down for continuous 22 days following tragic landslide incident on the Yatra track near Adh Kunwari on August 26, which claimed 34 lives besides injuries to several others.
It is the time for the stakeholders to analyze the situation by critically gauging the sequence of development that took place in the region in the last nearly two-three decades.
Earlier, when there was only one path leading to Bhawan, seldom it was heard that Yatra had to be suspended on account of heavy rains although devotees faced difficulties to cope up with weather vagaries as the entire path was not covered with sheds. Now the frequent suspension of the yatra due to inclement weather raises a big question that instead of making the Yatra an all weather entity with multiple well-developed routes and modern infrastructure, it has become increasingly vulnerable to natural disruptions?
Taking this unfortunate condition analytically one can say that so-called development achieved in the region in the name of progress has badly affected the fragile ecosystem that has sustained the sacred journey for centuries together. The sole path to the cave shrine was arduous and the people had to face hardships to reach the Bhawan during earlier times but it was time tested and in harmony with the environment.
Today, the so-called developed routes promise convenience but have fiddled badly with the fragile ecosystem leading to tragedies even during a short spell of heavy rains.
The greed of converting green cover into concrete jungle through excessive blasting, concretization, tree felling, and the burden of heavy construction have undoubtedly disturbed the ecological balance and primarily this is one of the main reasons behind landslides, flash floods and disturbed drainage patterns in the Trikuta hills housing the revered cave shrine. It is a fact that faith has brought devotees to Vaishno Devi for centuries and not the concrete.
It is time to revisit the development pattern and change the course including the proposal of cable-car to stop further
