Katra/Jammu, Jan 1: After a week of disruption, Katra, the gateway to the Mata Vaishno Devi temple, returned to normalcy on Wednesday following the conclusion of a shutdown protesting the proposed ropeway project in the Trikuta hills of Reasi district.
The shutdown, which had paralyzed daily life in the town, ended with the release of 18 individuals detained during the protests. Their arrival in Katra was met with enthusiastic celebrations.
“Shops, restaurants, and other businesses have reopened, and traffic has resumed, offering significant relief to the pilgrims,” an official stated.
As normal activities resumed, large crowds of pilgrims flocked to Katra on the first day of the new year to pay their respects at the shrine. Long queues were seen at entry points in Katra and Bhawan.
“We are so relieved the bandh has ended. It had been causing a lot of inconvenience. We’ve come to offer our prayers at the shrine today, on the first day of the new year,” said Suresh Kadam, a pilgrim from Pune.
The shutdown, which began on December 25, had affected one of the country’s busiest pilgrimage towns, which attracts thousands of visitors daily. The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Sangharsh Samiti, the group behind the protests, had called for the complete suspension of activities in Katra during this time.
Late on Tuesday night, the Jammu and Kashmir administration announced the release of the detained individuals and established a four-member committee to initiate talks with the protesting civil society groups.
“The 18 detainees, including protest leaders, were freed around 1 am from jails in Reasi and Udhampur and were warmly welcomed back to Katra,” a spokesperson for the Samiti said.
The protests, which started on December 25, were extended by 72 hours on December 27, with the key demands of halting the ropeway project and releasing the detained activists. Eight youths had also staged a hunger strike to push for the release of the detainees, including two Samiti leaders, Bhupinder Singh and Sohan Chand.
The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) had announced the Rs 250-crore ropeway project to provide easier access to the shrine for senior citizens, children, and others who find the 13-km trek challenging. The project aims to connect Tarakote Marg to Sanji Chhat, offering an alternate route to the cave shrine.
In 2024, nearly 94.83 lakh pilgrims visited the shrine, according to Anshul Garg, CEO of SMVDSB.
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