Mata Vaishno Devi Yatra continued to remain suspended for the 12th consecutive day on Saturday due to persistent adverse weather conditions and incidents of landslides along the pilgrimage route.
Heavy rainfall over the past several days triggered landslides and road blockages in the Trikuta Hills, making the pilgrimage route unsafe for devotees.
According to the Regional Meteorological Centre of Srinagar, there is no alert for the district till September 7. However, the weather department has issued a yellow alert for “thunderstorms, lightning and squalls” for September 8-9.
The Vaishno Devi Yatra was suspended after a landslide on August 26 that killed 34 people and injured several. The disaster struck in the afternoon, around 3 pm, when heavy rains triggered a massive landslide near the Inderprastha Bhojnalaya at Adhkuwari, about halfway along the 12-kilometre trek from Katra to the shrine.
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha had ordered the constitution of a high-level three-member committee to investigate the causes of the landslide.
Shaleen Kabra, Additional Chief Secretary of the Department of Jal Shakti, Jammu and Kashmir, is heading the committee, which includes the Divisional Commissioner and the Inspector General of Police, Jammu.
According to an official order, the committee also includes the Divisional Commissioner and the Inspector General of Police, Jammu.
The committee has been tasked with conducting a detailed investigation and submitting its report within two weeks to LG Sinha, who is also the chairman of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB), it said.
The order has stated that the Committee shall examine in detail the causes and 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 in the future, the order said.
Meanwhile, villagers in the Bhaderwah areas of Doda district were cut off after cloudbursts and flash floods, which led the 4 Rashtriya Rifles unit of the Army to construct a makeshift wooden footbridge in under 18 hours to restore connectivity in the affected areas.
The calamity that struck Beja village earlier this week washed away vital roads, leaving residents of Butla, Beja, Shrekhi, and Katyara isolated from the main town. (ANI)
