L-G chairs Vaishno Devi board meeting; several decisions taken for safety of pilgrims

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Manoj Sinha chaired a meeting of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board here on Sunday, a day after 12 people died in a stampede at the shrine, officials said.

The meeting took place at the Raj Bhawan here and was attended by senior officials, including shrine board Chief Executive Officer Ramesh Kumar, they said.

In a series of tweets after the meeting, the L-G said several decisions have been taken to ensure safety of devotees.

''Directions issued for physical and systematic improvements wherever required after critical examination, augmentation of infrastructure, online booking to be made 100 per cent,'' he said.

''Steps including decongestion of the entire track, appropriate use of technology for effective crowd and queue management, RFID tracking to be put in place. Members of the board to monitor the implementation,'' Sinha said.

He also announced an additional ex gratia grant of Rs 5 lakh each to the next of kin of devotees who lost their lives in the incident.

Twelve pilgrims were killed and over a dozen others injured in the stampede at the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine atop the Trikuta hills in Reasi district in the early hours of Saturday after a scuffle between two groups of pilgrims during the New Year rush.

''….besides Rs 10 lakh announced as an ex-gratia, additional amount of Rs 5 lakh to be given to the NoK of the pilgrims who lost their lives in the unfortunate tragic incident,'' Sinha said.

Meanwhile, the three-member high-level inquiry team headed by Principal Secretary (Home) Shaleen Kabra visited the shrine and was briefed by officials on the ground.

Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Rajiv Langar and Additional Director General of Police (Jammu) Mukesh Singh are the other two members of the committee which has been set up by the L-G to conduct the inquiry. It will submit a report within a week.

The officials said Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta was also accompanying the team.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)