News Analysis India

Tag: Amarnath shrine

  • Jammu & Kashmir allots 25 kanals land to Amarnath shrine board

    Express News Service

    SRINAGAR:  The Lt Governor administration in Jammu and Kashmir has allotted 25 kanals of land in Srinagar to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), which manages the annual Amarnath yatra to cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas, on rent of Rs 10 per kanal per annum for a period of 40 years.

    The Revenue department in order No 56-JK-(Rev) of 2021 dated 20-8-2021 accorded sanction to grant of 25 kanals of land at Pantha Chowk area in Srinagar in favour of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board.

    The land has been given on lease of 40 years from the date of taking over the possession on payment of nominal ground rent of Rs 10 per Kanal per annum without charge of any premium subject to the condition that the land shall be used only for the purpose for which it is granted.The land has been granted to the Amarnath Shrine board for construction of office and Yatra niwas.

  • Amarnath Yatra cancelled for the second year in a row due to Covid pandemic

    By Express News Service
    SRINAGAR: For the second consecutive year, the annual Amarnath yatra has been cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

    The decision to cancel the yatra was taken after Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, who is also chairman of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), held detailed deliberations with Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta, DGP Dilbag Singh, Principal Secretary Home Shaleen Kabra, and Principal Secretary to Lt Governor, Nitishwar Kumar, who is also the CEO of Shrine Board.

    “However, all the traditional religious rituals shall be performed at the cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas as per the past practice,” an official spokesman said.

    The shrine board has put in place a virtual and televised mechanism for live Darshan of Aarti from the shrine.

    “The devotees should be enabled to attend the morning and evening Aarti in online mode. It would help them to pay their obeisance while also avoiding travel and exposure,” the spokesman said.

    Lt Governor Manoj Sinha said it is important to save the lives of people.

    “So, it is not advisable to hold and conduct this year’s pilgrimage in the larger public interest. Amarnathji Shrine Board is aware of and respects the sentiments of millions of devotees, and to keep the sentiments alive, the Board shall continue the live telecast of morning and evening Aarti from the Cave shrine,” he said.

    The 56-day pilgrimage was scheduled to start from June 28 and conclude on Raksha Bandhan on August 22.

    The advance registration of pilgrims for yatra had started from April 1 through 446 designated banks while online registration had started on April 15. However, the registration was suspended on April 22 after the surge in Covid cases and deaths in J&K.

    The government was expecting 6 lakh yatris to visit the Amarnath shrine this year.

    After the outbreak of the Covid pandemic in 2019, the Amarnath yatra was cancelled in 2020. The yatra was also curtailed and called off mid-way in 2019 ahead of abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of J&K state on August 5, 2019.