The Jammu & Kashmir national Conference Wednesday expressed profound grief and anger over the tragic death of more than 30 pilgrims and questioned the LG's decision, who is also the Chairman of SMVD board, to let Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Yatra continue inspite of the inclement weather forecast.
In a joint statement Additional General Secretary Ajay Kumar Sadhotra and Provincial President Rattan Lal Gupta raised serious questions about the glaring lapses in decision-making that led to the avoidable tragedy. “The buck for the safety and security of every pilgrim stops squarely with the Chairman of the Shrine Board,” they stated adding, “When the severe weather forecast for the Jammu province was well-known, why was the yatra not halted proactively? Why were pilgrims allowed to continue on a track which is prone to landslides during such extreme conditions?”
They said that the primary responsibility of the Shrine Board is to ensure pilgrim safety, a duty that appears to have been severely compromised. “This is not the first incident of its kind, and yet, the administration seems to have ignored clear and present dangers. The LG cannot keep getting away with such glaring lapses,” they added.
The leaders extended their deepest condolences to the families of the deceased and demanded a thorough, time-bound inquiry into the failures that led to this catastrophe.