LG sets up 3-member panel to inquire into recent landslide on Vaishno Devi route

Srinagar, Aug 29 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday constituted a high-level three-member committee to inquire into the reasons behind the recent landslide along the pilgrim route leading to the Vaishno Devi shrine atop Trikuta Hills in Reasi district.

The inquiry was ordered a day after protests against the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) rocked Katra, the base camp for the pilgrims visiting the revered shrine, alleging over-commercialising of the pilgrimage site, and two days after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah questioned allowing the pilgrims for the Yatra when there was a warning of heavy downpour.

The committee headed by the additional chief secretary, Department of Jal Shakti, will submit its report within two weeks to Sinha, who is also the chairman of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, an official order said.

Jammu Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar and Inspector General of Police B S Tuti are the two other members of the panel, Special Secretary in the L-G Secretariat, Krishan Lal, said in the order issued on the directions of Sinha.

A landslide struck near the Inderprastha Bhojnalaya at Adhkuwari, about halfway along the winding 12-km trek route from Katra to the shrine, on Tuesday, killing 34 pilgrims and injuring 20 others.

There are two routes leading to the shrine. While the Yatra had been suspended on the Himkoti trek route since Tuesday morning, it was going on along the old route till afternoon when authorities decided to suspend it as a precautionary measure, a couple of hours before the tragedy struck.

“A high level three-member committee is hereby constituted to inquire into the reasons behind the tragic landslide incident near Adhkuwari on the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji track, Reasi district, on 26-08-2025,” the order said.

The committee would examine in detail the reasons behind the incident and point out any lapses, assess responses in the form of rescue and relief measures undertaken, and suggest appropriate SOPs and measures for preventing recurrence of such incidents, it added.

“The committee will submit its report within two weeks to the chairman of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board,” the order said.

A partial strike was observed in Katra on Thursday as a mark of respect and solidarity with the deceased pilgrims, with hundreds of people taking out a march to criticise the Shrine Board over the tragic incident.

"The tragedy shows the incompetence of the Shrine Board, which allowed the Yatra despite weather warnings," former J-K minister Jugal Kishore Sharma said, alleging that the track was developed in a highly-unplanned manner.

Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) general secretary Karan Singh, who was also part of the protest march in Katra, accused the Shrine Board of over-commercialising the pilgrimage, and requested it not to play with the "sanctity of the holy shrine".

On August 27, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah asked why officials of the Shrine Board, which is under the administrative control of the LG, did not stop pilgrims from treading the track when there was a warning of the calamity.

"When we knew about the weather, should we not have taken certain steps to save lives? The weather warning had come to us a few days ago," Abdullah said.

Posing questions to the officials, he added, "Why were these people on the track? Why were they not stopped? Why were they not moved to a safe place? This has to be discussed later. We feel sorrow over the loss of precious lives." In a late night statement on Thursday, the Shrine Board refuted allegations of allowing the Yatra to proceed in disregard of weather advisories and at the cost of pilgrim safety, saying the pilgrimage was suspended at noon on August 26 ahead of the cloudburst that triggered the landslide.

However, the Board did not share details about the number of deaths caused by the disaster.

Afrter visiting Katra on August 27, Sinha had said, "This has been a very unfortunate incident. Around noon yesterday, a cloudburst occurred when the Yatra was already suspended. Due to the cloudburst, several people were swept away by the waters. Many precious lives have been lost, and several others have been injured." PTI TAS SKL ARI