Excelsior Correspondent
KATRA, Oct 7: Businesses in the holy town Katra have been severely hit as Mata Vaishno Devi Yatra was suspended again for three days from October 5, in view of bad weather advisory.
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After a complete shut down for continuous 22 days following tragic landslide incident on the Yatra track near Adh Kunwari on August 26, which claimed 34 lives besides injuries to several others, the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board has once again suspended the pilgrimage from October 5 to 7, citing adverse weather conditions forecasted by the India Meteorological Department.
Repeated suspension of the pilgrimage has resulted in a substantial economic burden on the local business community, with traders estimating losses in hundreds of crore rupees.
Hotels and restaurants in Katra have seen a significant decline in customers, resulting in substantial losses while shops in Katra have been forced to shut down due to the lack of pilgrims, further exacerbating the economic situation.
The suspension has severely affected the livelihoods of those employed in the tourism sector, including porters, pony operators, auto and taxi drivers.
According to Raj Kumar Padha, president of Katra Hoteliers Association, the Shrine Board should have taken local stakeholders into confidence before a decision on suspending pilgrimage in view of weather advisory.
“Instead of taking a hasty decision without wisdom and suspending the Yatra continuously for three days, the Shrine Board should have regulated the pilgrimage by reviewing it as per weather conditions,” he said while pointing out that October 5 and 7 were sunny days when the Yatra could have been allowed.
Echoing similar sentiments, representatives of shopkeepers and porters opined that such hasty decisions are detrimental to local businesses and around two lakh workers who earn their livelihood through employment in such businesses.
Lamenting over the situation, traders and business owners have demanded a relief package from the Government to help mitigate the losses. They also sought loan repayment moratoriums for six months and reduced interest rates to help businesses stay afloat.
“Government should provide soft loan on low interest rate to the business owners so that they can meet the daily expenditures and wages of engaged workers during this difficult time,” they said, adding that formal memoranda in this regard were already submitted to Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
The Mata Vaishno Devi Yatra is expected to resume on October 8, once the weather conditions improve.
“However, even if the Yatra resumes tomorrow, suspension of pilgrimage for three days is going to have a cascading effect on all business for the next few days as maximum advance bookings have been got cancelled by the pilgrims,” said hotelier.
Traders and business owners hoped that the Government will come forward and support them to alleviate their financial distress while the Shrine Board will also avoid any hasty decision on suspension of pilgrimage in future.
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