Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday held a meeting with the members of civil society organisations, religious leaders, elected representatives, trade and business community and discussed the arrangements for forthcoming Amarnath Yatra.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah; Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo; Special Director General (Coordination), PHQ, S.J.M Gillani; Principal Secretary to Lieutenant Governor and CEO, Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) Dr Mandeep K Bhandari; Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Shri Vijay Bidhuri; Administrative Secretaries, senior officials of Police and Civil Administration attended the meeting.
The Lieutenant Governor welcomed the suggestions from various sections of the society and sought their active participation and cooperation in smooth conduct of the pilgrimage.
“Amarnath Yatra stands as a powerful symbol of Jammu and Kashmir's glorious past and its promising future. It is truly a Peoples’ Yatra. Every citizen is a key stakeholder of this holy pilgrimage which also holds profound socio-economic, spiritual, and cultural significance for every section of society,” Sinha said.
He appealed to the civil society members, elected public representatives, religious, trade and business organizations to make this pilgrimage a vibrant celebration of spirituality, unity, love, and communal harmony.
“The peaceful conduct of the yatra will send a strong message that we the people of Jammu Kashmir stand united,” he said.
“Spiritual leaders, civil society members, public representatives, trade & business fraternity are respected members of J&K Family and are carrying forward this thousands-of-years-old spiritual tradition with complete devotion. This year too, maintaining social harmony and social unity and ensuring peaceful and successful conduct of the holy pilgrimage is your responsibility,” Sinha said.
He also highlighted the key initiatives by SASB, Administration, J&K Police, Security forces and other stakeholders for enhancing the pilgrim-centric facilities and making the yatra more secure and safer for the pilgrims. He also urged the pilgrims to travel in the designated convoys.
“I have made an on-ground assessment of the facilities on the yatra tracks which were recently developed for the convenience of pilgrims. The number of pilgrims’ registration have been increasing continuously and I am confident that large number of devotees will visit the cave to pay their obeisance there,” the Lieutenant Governor said.
He said Jammu and Kashmir and its people have always rejected distinctions between sects and religions, consistently extending respect and acceptance to every faith and its unique forms of worship.
“With this very spirit, let us welcome the lakhs of devotees arriving for Amarnath and, through our collective efforts, ensure a successful, peaceful and hassle-free pilgrimage for all the devotees,” the Lieutenant Governor further said.
Chairperson, J&K Waqf Board; DDC Chairpersons, Members of Legislative Assembly, civil society members, representatives of various organizations, religious heads, community leaders, members of trade and business fraternity shared their valuable suggestions and pledged their support for the smooth conduct of the Amarnath Yatra.
Addressing the demands and issues projected during the interaction, the Lieutenant Governor assured that the appropriate steps will be taken to meet the aspirations of all the stakeholders.
Referring to April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, Sinha called it an attack on Kashmir’s soul. “What happened in Pahalgam and how people spontaneously came out in protest — I have not seen anything like this in my five years as LG”.
He said the attack was a desperate attempt by Pakistan-backed forces to create discord, but the people of Kashmir responded with unity and dignity, drawing praise from across the country.
“This attack has placed Kashmir under national and international scrutiny. Our responsibility has become even greater now,” he said, echoing sentiments expressed earlier by the Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah.
LG Sinha acknowledged that the Pahalgam attack initially caused apprehension among devotees leading to a 10.19% drop in Yatra registrations compared to the previous year.
“The administration reached out to early registrants and around 85% of the devotees said they will not change their plans and will go ahead with the Yatra,” he revealed.
With each passing day, the number is increasing, he said