Last summer, the Shrine Board authorities had allowed even 40,000 pilgrims to Vaishno Devi Bhawan on some days. It was for the first time in the history of the shrine that 11.18 lakh yatris had darshan of Goddess Vaishno Devi in the month of June last year, averaging about 37,000 per day.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the SMVDSB authorities have decided to restrict the maximum number of pilgrims to Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan per day to 30,000. This month when there are summer vacations across most parts of the country, at least 40,000 pilgrims are reaching Katra, base camp of the shrine, almost daily while the number even goes up on weekends.
Almost daily, 10,000 pilgrims are being kept in waiting for next day. Some of them preferred to return while others wait for the opening of yatra counter next day.
"Today, the yatra registration counter had to be closed at 2 pm as 30,000 pilgrims had been registered by then. More than 12,000 were in waiting", sources said.
They added that the SMVDSB decision to keep maximum number of yatris per day at 30,000 was aimed to regulating the yatra smoothly and to ensure that pilgrims get adequate facilities enroute 13 km Katra-Vaishno Devi track. This would also keep the area around cave shrine free of jamming.
On the directions of Additional CEO SMVDSB, Manoj Kumar Dwivedi, the authorities have opened Niharika Bhawan’s ‘Vishram Graha’ (rest house) and tin sheds in Katra town for poor pilgrims, who had to wait at the base camp due to closure of yatra registration counters, free of cost.
The pilgrims in-waiting, especially those who can’t afford hotels and lodges, are being provided all facilities for lodging at Niharika, sources said.
Due to restricted pilgrimage, only 5.30 lakh yatris have visited holy cave shrine during 17 days of June this year as compared to 6.05 lakh in corresponding days last year, a decline of 75,000. Last June, 11.18 lakh pilgrims had paid obeisance to Goddess Vaishno Devi, which was a record for any month so far.
Even last month of May, only 8.15 lakh yatris had darshan of natural pindies of Goddess Vaishno Devi as against 9.65 lakh in the same month last year, a downfall of 1.5 lakh in pilgrimage.
However, despite a decline of 2.25 lakh in yatra in the month of May and 17 days of June, the pilgrimage this year was still up by 52,000 so far. About 34.31 lakh pilgrims have visited the holy shrine this year so far as compared to 33.79 lakh during the corresponding period last year.
By the end of April, the yatra was up by about 2.7 lakh from the last year.
In April this year, 6.99 lakh pilgrims visited the shrine against 6.23 lakh last year while in March 2009, the number of yatris was 6.73 against 6.18 lakh in March 2008. In January and February this year, 4.14 lakh and 2.97 lakh yatris paid their obeisance to the Goddess as compared to 3.40 lakh and 2.25 lakh respectively in the corresponding months last year.
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