J-K CM asks why Vaishno Devi shrine board didn't stop pilgrims despite bad weather warning

Jammu, Aug 27 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday questioned the decision of the Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, under the control of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, to allow the pilgrimage to continue despite warnings of heavy downpour.

The death toll in the Vaishno Devi landslide has gone up to 34, officials said on Wednesday, a day after the disaster struck the route on the hilltop shrine in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district.

Speaking to reporters, Abdullah criticised the apathetic approach of the authorities. "We will have to talk about it later. When we knew about the weather, should we not have taken certain steps to save those lives?" he asked. "The weather warning had come to us a few days ago." The landslide, triggered by incessant heavy rain, occurred on Tuesday around 3 pm on the old 12-km trek from the base camp of Katra to the hilltop shrine, catching many pilgrims by surprise.

Authorities had suspended the pilgrimage on the new Himkoti trek route on Tuesday morning, but it continued on the old route until 1:30 pm.

"Why were these people on the track? Why were they not stopped? Why were they not moved to a safe place?" Abdullah asked. "This has to be discussed later. We feel sorrow over the loss of 29 to 30 precious lives." The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board was set up in 1986 under the provisions of the Jammu and Kashmir Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Act, 1988, for management and governance.

When Jammu and Kashmir was a state, the governor was the ex officio chairman of the board. After the 2019 reorganisation of the state, the L-G is the chairman.

Last year, 98.4 lakh pilgrims visited the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine from the rest of the country and the world.

Meanwhile, the water levels in the swollen rivers across Jammu showed signs of receding. However, the flood alert mark was breached by the Jhelum in Anantnag and Srinagar, and water entered several residential areas. This prompted authorities to assure residents that they are monitoring the situation and people should not panic.

Massive damage has been reported to public infrastructure, including several key bridges, private houses and commercial establishments, due to overflowing of water bodies and flash floods across the Union Territory, officials said.

Telecom services also got partially restored after remaining suspended for over 22 hours, while the chief minister rushed to Jammu from Srinagar to personally review the situation in the region. PTI AB SKL NSD NSD