Author: Kavita Suri
Publication: The Statesman
Date: June 17, 2004
The Mufti government finds itself
in a jam following its decision to limit the duration of the Amarnath Yatra
to one month, writes
Although Governor House in Srinagar
might have reconciled itself to the chief minister's decision to allow
the annual Amarnath pilgrimage for one month instead of two as earlier
announced by the Governor, the row over the issue is far from over. Things
have taken a new turn with a number of Hindu organisations threatening
a stir for not being allowed a two-month-long pilgrimage to the holy caves
in trouble-torn Kashmir.
The Hindu organisations met in Jammu
some days back to chalk out a course of action following the government's
inaction on their pleas. The controversy has come to such a pass that it
has left chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed gunning for the Governor,
Lt. Gen. (retd.) SK Sinha, also the chairman of the Shri Amarnath Shrine
Board which came into existence after an Act by the state legislature during
National Conference rule.
Sources, however, say that Mufti
will not be obliged by the new dispensation at New Delhi as local Congress
leaders are sore over the chief minister's unilateral decision regarding
which there were no consultations with them.
Of late, the Congress - which played
second fiddle to the ruling PDP - has been asserting itself. Mufti's desperation
is evident from the fact that after his meeting with the Union home minister,
Shivraj Patil, he seemed to be demonstrating reconciliatory gestures by
telling journalists that he enjoyed good relations with the Governor. Obviously,
the Amarnath controversy must have figured in the discussions. Congress
leaders say they don't want to be seen as pawns in the hands of Mufti.
According to them, Mufti's refusal to extend the duration of pilgrimage
might give an issue to the BJP that has been left without one ever since
the Lok Sabha polls.
It all began late last month when
the chief executive officer of the shrine board, Dr Arun Kumar, also principal
secretary to the Governor, announced that the Yatra would likely be for
two months for which elaborate arrangements have been planned. The chief
minister summoned Kumar the very next day and reprimanded him in presence
of several top-ranking officials. This was followed by a statement that
rejected the board's proposal, declaring that the Yatra would be confined
to one month only.
The SASB, which came into existence
on 21 February 2002 with the then Governor Girish Chander Saxena as its
first ex-officio chairman, was formally set up on 20 May 2001. As over
250 pilgrims had died during the 1996 Yatra due to harsh weather conditions,
the Dr Nitish Sen Gupta Commission, set up by the J&K government to
look into the causes of the catastrophe, strongly recommended the setting
up of a board to manage the entire affair.
Annoyed by Mufti's stance, Gen.
Sinha wrote to him reminding him of his silence over three earlier notices
detailing the contention of the board about the conduct of the Yatra and
lack of financial assistance regarding infrastructure. Sinha also charged
Mufti with "unwarranted interference". The letter leaked and a controversy
was built with stories about the removal of the Governor doing the round.
Sinha is reported to have informed
Mufti that while the recommendation of the Sen Gupta and Mukherjee committees
with regard to the number of pilgrims being allowed to undertake the journey
is being considered, other important recommendations vis-a- vis raising
temporary structures are yet to be looked into. Inadequate infrastructure
could prove more detrimental to the pilgrims' safety than would security
concerns.
As far as the local economy is concerned,
the Yatra has been playing a significant role with the number of pilgrims
having crossed a record 1.70 lakh, notwithstanding the threat of militant
attacks. The fillip is proving a boon for tourist trade operators in the
Valley. They too are unhappy with the government's decision of not allowing
the annual ritual to continue for two months.
A senior official told The Statesman
on the condition of anonymity that justification on grounds of security
is ridiculous as on the one hand the government is making all attempts
to boost tourist influx and on the other it poses restrictions on those
who are eager to come!
The confrontation between the government
and SASB deepened further with obstructions being raised by police officers,
reportedly at the behest of a senior PDP minister, in the carriage of pre-fabricated
toilet blocks to Baltal, the base camp for the cave shrine. Within hours
of the government pronouncement, four trucks carrying the blocks were stopped
at Sonamarg and only after hectic persuasion by board officials were they
allowed to carry on. Similar roadblocks were erected again after a couple
of days.
Introduction of helicopter service
to the shrine is another concern that the state government wants to allegedly
sabotage. The board has been negotiating to provide helicopter service
for pilgrims from Baltal to the holy cave. Such a service is already in
operation in the Mata Vaishno Devi circuit, the head of the board of which
is again the Governor.
The extended period of the Amarnath
Yatra would have provided much satisfaction to the pilgrims, most of who
are deprived of a darshan of the ice lingam because it starts melting with
soaring temperatures. However, the board has envisaged a plan with expertise
from DRDO towards the preservation of the lingam for the entire period.
The board has also prepared a plan of Rs 20 crore towards improving facilities
en route the cave shrine without placing an extra burden on the state exchequer.
The amount is to be raised from donations from the devout both within and
outside the country.
Though the Governor and the chief
minister have adopted a "no- confrontation" stance on this sensitive issue,
the controversy is deepening with each passing day. And with the VHP announcement
that an agitation would be launched, this year's Yatra might fall prey
to government rigidity. Various trade bodies and tourist operator associations
in Jammu have also accused the government of being discriminatory.
"We would launch an agitation with
the support of other social and religious bodies," informs VHP state chief,
Dr Rama Kant Dubey, adding that his organisation was in touch with other
religious bodies in Jammu as well as the Hotel and Lodges Association and
the Taxi Union. Dubey says that SASB is an autonomous body headed by the
Governor and that the state government has no right to interfere in its
affairs. He also said that while the government argues that there shouldn't
be more than 2,500 pilgrims via Pahalgam and 700 via the Baltal track,
it has failed to implement the other suggestions including the widening
of the track.
The Hindu organisations also allege
that while all possible facilities are being extended to Haj pilgrims,
Hindu pilgrims wanting to undertake a journey to Amarnath are being discriminated
against. Moreover, they allege that the government was hand in glove with
terrorists in stopping the entry of Hindus into J&K since 1990. And
that the hurdles being created by the government during the Amarnath Yatra
every year has only emboldened the terrorists.
Jammu has emerged as a strong Congress
bastion in the sensitive border state of J&K. Now the question is,
can the party afford to annoy a section of the populace on this vital issue?
(The author is the Jammu-based Correspondent
of The Statesman.)
