Author:
Publication: The Free Press Journal
Date: May 30, 2004
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister
Mufti Mohammad Sayeed's decision to curtail the annual Amarnath Yatra to
one month has triggered a major controversy with the Governor S.K.Sinha
writing a "protest letter" about this "interference" in Shri Amarnath Shrine
Board (SANSB), reports PTI.
Sinha, who had written the letter
to Sayeed on May 26, has not received any response from the Chief Minister
about the queries raised by the Governor over the Yatra, due to commence
on July 1, official sources told PTI here on Saturday.
Sinha, who is the chairman of SANSB,
has expressed surprise over the "sudden and unilateral rejection of his
recommendations" on the conduct of the yatra, the sources said.
"This is discriminatory and will
send a wrong message," sources quoting the letter of the Governor, said.
The Amarnath board had announced
on May 23 that the yatra this year will be for two months as against one
month in past in view of the better security environment, and had scrapped
the registration fee of Rs. 20 opening the yatra for all.
The Chief Minister overuled the
board decision by rejecting the proposed changes on both counts.
"By doing so he has openly shown
his communal intentions and interfered in the Hindu religious board, taking
refuge on the grounds of security, while on the other hand, urging tourists
across the country to come to Kashmir and displaced Kashmiri Pandits to
come back in view of the better security environment," the sources further
said.
The governor is perturbed by the
fact that Sayeed did not discuss or interact with him before taking a decision
on the matter and instead went to media by rejecting his proposal, the
sources said. Reminding the CM of the 10-fold increase in the tourist inflow
from January this year due to efforts of the state government, Sinha, as
per sources, wrote "yet strangely, the government is trying to put brakes
on the increase of pilgrim traffic to Amarnath. This is discriminatory
and will send a wrong message."
He had kept Sayeed fully informed
about the plans through letters written from October 2003 to May 2004,
the sources quoting Sinha's letter, said.
He pointed out that a complete proposal
was sent to him in March 2004 so that early work could be started, but
there was no response from Sayeed at all.
The sources said that even deputy
chief minister, Mangat Ram Sharma, was being fully informed.
