J-K: Katra residents protest against proposed Vaishno Devi ropeway project

Scores of protesters took to the streets in Jammu and Kashmir's Katra town on Tuesday against the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, demanding an immediate rollback of the proposed ropeway project, officials said.

Locals of Katra, the base camp for the Vaishno Devi pilgrimage, have been opposing the Rs 250-crore ropeway project, which is proposed to connect Tarakote Marg with Sanji Chhat along the 12-kilometre steep track to the cave shrine in Reasi district.

They claim the ropeway would adversely impact the livelihoods of over 60,000 families, particularly hoteliers, shopkeepers, pony operators, pithus and labourers who depend on the pilgrimage for daily income.

Carrying placards, scores of men, women and children staged a protest march in Katra under the banner of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Sangharsh Samiti. They raised slogans against the shrine board, demanding the rollback of the project.

Leaders of the agitation claimed the project would severely affect local ponywalas, pithus, shopkeepers and other stakeholders associated with the yatra.

The protesters also urged the lieutenant governor–led administration to initiate an open dialogue with all affected groups and reconsider the project in the interest of locals.

They warned that the agitation would be intensified if the shrine board did not withdraw the proposal in the coming days.

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