By November, the Vaishno Devi shrine will have a Skywalk

The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board has begun construction of the much-needed Skywalk, which would assist segregate the entering and outgoing pilgrims close to the Bhawan area, after implementing Radio Frequency Identity Cards to track the movement of visitors.

An official of the SMVDSB stated that the skywalk, which has a length of 200 meters and a width of 2.5 meters, is anticipated to be finished by November at a cost of more than Rs 9.89 crore in order to facilitate the flow of incoming pilgrims.

He said that the facility, which is 20 feet above the track level, will aid in resolving the issue of the chaotic situation that exists between Manokamna Bhawan and Gate No-3, the location of the stampede on New Year’s Day that claimed the lives of 12 people and injured 16 others.

It was the first such tragedy at the shrine, which visitors reach after a 13-kilometer hike from the base camp in Katra. As a result, Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha, who also serves as the chairperson of the SMVDSB, announced several measures to ensure the safety of the pilgrims, including a requirement for 100% online registration.

After a thorough analysis, expansion of infrastructure, decongestion of the entire track, suitable use of technology for efficient crowd and queue management, and the adoption of RFID tracking, Sinha had issued instructions for physical and systematic changes wherever necessary.

Sharma criticizes the electoral rolls in the Cong prez poll

During the key CWC meeting on Sunday, dissident Congress leader Anand Sharma reportedly questioned the creation of the electoral registers for the AICC president election and inquired as to whether the party’s constitution was adhered to or not.

Sharma claimed he had complaints that neither a virtual nor a physical meeting had been held to finalize the electoral rolls when he spoke at the CWC meeting prior to the party’s central election authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry outlining the schedule for the election of the Congress president, the sources said.

They said that Sharma, one of the G-23 dissident leaders, also brought up the fact that no Pradesh Congress Committee had received a list of delegates who would cast their votes for the election of the Congress president, which is a violation of the integrity of the electoral process.

The seasoned leader had resigned from his position as chairman of the party’s steering committee for Himachal Pradesh a week earlier, claiming he had no other option given the insults and exclusion that had continued.