KATRA: On Thursday, President Droupadi Murmu visited the Vaishno Devi shrine and opened a skywalk and a renovated Parvati Bhavan at the shrine atop Trikuta hills in Reasi district, according to officials. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha accompanied the President, who is spending two days in Jammu and Kashmir, on his visit to the shrine. Anshul Garg, the CEO of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB), gave Murmu a briefing on the projects. According to officials, the 200-meter skywalk will ease pilgrims’ journeys by dividing the routes they take to get to the Bhawan and when they come back after visiting the shrine.The facility, which was finished at a cost of more than Rs 9.89 crore and is located 20 feet above track level, will aid in resolving the issue of a chaotic situation and multidirectional flow of pilgrims between Manokamna Bhawan and Gate No-3, which was the scene of a stampede on New Year’s Day in 2022 in which 12 people lost their lives and 16 were injured. According to the officials, the skywalk was designed to ease the movement of pilgrims and aid in better crowd control at Bhawan at busy times. Parvati Bhawan has undergone a complete renovation that cost approximately Rs 15 crore, and it is a free service for pilgrims.To guarantee that pilgrims travel directly to the shrine after leaving their bags, it has been connected to the skywalk. According to officials, it has 1,500 lockers and can accommodate 10,000 to 15,000 pilgrims daily. President Murmu planted a pagoda seedling in the gardens of the Raj Bhawan auditorium in Jammu and Kashmir in the morning before departing for the Vaishno Devi shrine, according to officials in Kashmir.
