Baltal (Jammu and Kashmir), Oct. 31 (ANI): Jammu and Kashmir Police on Wednesday said rejected reports of permanent structures being set up on the road leading to the Amarnath shrine.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) S.M. Sahai revealed this after undertaking an aerial survey of the route to the shrine at Baltal.
A group of journalists accompanied him on the chopper ride to the shrine and back.
He was reacting to separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani's claim that permanent structures are being set up on the road to Amarnath, regarded as an ecologically sensitive area in the Himalayan range.
The aerial survey was undertaken by the state government to counter Geelani, who had claimed that construction material has been dumped along the route to the shrine, including a motorable road for the pilgrims.
After the aerial survey was over, Sahai said: "Well, you have seen for yourself what are the activities going on the track. As far as I understand there is none. I think the whole misconception that is being created around the activities on the track to the cave needs to be cleared. There is no concept of a road; there is no concept of a makeover session. As far as it goes for this year, you would have seen that the weather will not permit any activity. And next year by the time the Yatra (pilgrimage) is to start, is around the time when the snow actually begins to melt. So at the best that can happen is the normal track improvement which is done annually."
Geelani had threatened to launch an agitation if the state government did not shelve its plans to set up structures and an all-weather road.
He also claimed that he has photographic evidence about construction material dumped along the routes.
Reacting to these allegations, Sahai said that all these claims are pre-fabricated allegations made to create a stir over the issue.
"Those are photographs which are of pre-fabricated structures which have been set up partly because last year there was some damage to the pre-fabricated structures in Sheshnag due to some rioting problem there. Secondly, is that in keeping with the guidelines of the Supreme Court and the environmental condition there is a requirement for the sanitation to be there. Now for that purpose there we have to create some facilities so that the sanitation over there does not impact the environment. That is what is to be created there and nothing more than that. There are no permanent structures of any kind coming up," added Sahai.
He further mentioned that the Baltal route towards the shrine is being specially taken care of because it is the most preferred way of the pilgrims, and that there are no permanent structures along it as alleged by Geelani.
"People should understand that over a period of time the Baltal route has become more important because of the shortage of time with people now, people prefer to go there. And most of the people who come back from the Pahalgam route also prefer to come back via Baltal. So I think that has become more important route and as far I know there is no instruction from the Supreme Court, the special high-powered committee has not made any recommendation of this nature. There is absolutely no activity in that case. So I think the entire misconception needs to be sorted out," said Sahai.
Earlier this year, the Supreme Court of India had taken suo-motu cognisance of high number of deaths of the pilgrims during the pilgrimage and directed the state government to improve the condition of the tracks and provide necessary healthcare and other facilities for bringing down casualties.
Geelani has also called for the disbanding of the Sri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) which manages the annual pilgrimages to the shrines, and handing over the management to Kashmiri Pandits, the original Hindu residents of the Kashmir valley, besides limiting the number of pilgrims.
According to official records, over 550,000 Hindu pilgrims visited the cave shrine this year to worship an ice stalagmite, believed to be the symbol of Lord Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction and regeneration. (ANI)
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