Devotees walk towards Mata Vaishno Devi shrine amid tight security
A day after the stampede at the Mata Vaishno Devi hill shrine, authorities on Sunday tightened arrangements with full deployment of security personnel and announced a slew of steps to prevent any congestion at the temple complex as the rush of pilgrims continued. A high-powered probe committee set up by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha visited the site and appealed to the general public to share videos, statements or any other evidence about the incident.
Sinha chaired the first meeting of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board after the stampede and several decisions were taken to ensure the safety of devotees, including provision for 100 percent online registration.
Here's a list of steps announced to prevent any congestion at the temple complex
- Roping in technical experts and adopting best crowd management practices.
- Modalities for a suspension bridge, a ropeway, and a skywalk for effective queue management were discussed.
- Identifying more halting spots to cater to a large crowd at Bhawan and Katra.
- Need to undertake an exercise for critically examining the safety audit of physical infrastructure and fire safety at main Bhawan, shopping complex and other important areas.
The yatra registered a footfall of over 55.77 lakh in 2021, compared to 17 lakh the previous year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Twelve people lost their lives and 16 others were injured in the stampede in the early hours of Saturday after a scuffle between two groups of pilgrims during the New Year rush. Many eyewitnesses said that there was overcrowding as people were staying back on the shrine premises after darshan instead of returning to the base camp at Katra.
The three-member inquiry team headed by Principal Secretary (Home) Shaleen Kabra and comprising Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Rajiv Langar and Additional Director General of Police (Jammu) Mukesh Singh visited the incident site and were briefed by officials. They were accompanied by Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta.
A public notice was issued urging the general public to furnish any facts, statements, electronic evidence, etc. about the incident with the panel.
The National Green Tribunal has put a cap of 50,000 pilgrims per day and keeping in view the COVID-19 pandemic, the shrine board had allowed 35,000 pilgrims to proceed for yatra on 31st December 2021 and for 1st January 2022. Besides enhancing the security arrangements, authorities have also deployed additional staff to ensure strict adherence to COVID-19 guidelines.
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