Cont: 9419101229, 94191-76665 ENTRUST REALTORS &...
1
The festival of Navratri (nav = nine and ratri = nights) lasts for 9 days with three days each devot- ed to worship of Maa Durga, the Goddess of Val- or, Ma Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth and Maa Saraswati, the Goddess of Knowledge. During the nine days of Navratri, feasting and fasting take precedence over all normal daily activities amongst the Hindus. Evenings give rise to the reli- gious dances in order to worhip Goddess Durga Maa. The 9 nights festival of Navratri begins on the first day of Ashwina of the bright fortnight. Seeds are sown, sprouting is watched, the planets are consecrated, and on the 8th and 9th days, God- dess Durga, Vijayashtami and Mahanavami are worshipped. The Devi Mahatmya and other texts invoking the Goddess who vanquished demons are cited. 1st - 3rd day of Navratri On the first day of the Navaratras, a small bed of mud is prepared in the puja room and barley seeds are sown on it. These initial days are dedicated to Durga Maa, the God- dess of power and energy. 4th - 6th day of Navratri During these days, Lakshmi Maa, the Goddess of peace and pros- perity is worshipped. 7th - 8th day of Navratri These final days belong to Saraswati Maa who is worshipped to acquire the spiritual knowledge. This in turn will free us from all earthly bondage. But on the 8th day of this colourful festival, yagna (holy fire) is performed. Mahanavami The festival of Navratri culmi- nates in Mahanavami. On this day Kanya Puja is performed. Nine young girls representing the nine forms of Goddess Durga are worshiped. North India Legend The legend in North India goes that Mahisha- sura, the mighty demon, worshipped Lord Shiva and obtained the power of eternity. Soon, he start- ed killing and harassing innocent people and set out to win all the three lokas. The gods in swar- galoka appealed to Lord Shiva, to find a way to get rid of the demon. To protect the world from the atrocities of Mahishasura, the Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva united their powers and creat- ed a divine female warrior, known as Goddess Durga. Mahishasura, when he saw the divine beauty of Goddess Durga, got mesmerized. So fascinated was Mahishasura by Goddess Durga's beauty that he approached her with the intention of marriage. The goddess agreed to marry him, but put forth a condition - Mahishasura would have to win over her in a battle. Mahisha- sura, proud as he was, agreed immediately! The battle continued for 9 nights and at the end of the ninth night, Goddess Durga beheaded Mahisha- sura. The nine nights came to be known as Navra- tri, while the tenth day was called Vijayadashmi, the tenth day that brought the triumph of good over evil. Eastern Belief As per the legend prevalent in East India, Dak- sha, the king of the Himalayas, had a beautiful and virtuous daughter called Uma. She wished to marry Lord Shiva, since her childhood. In order to win over the Lord, she worshipped him and managed to please him as well. When Shiva final- ly came to marry her, the tiger-skin clad groom displeased Daksha and he broke off all the rela- tionships with his daughter and son-in-law. One fine day, Daksha organized a yagna, but did not invite Lord Shiva for the same. Uma got so angry at her father's rude behav- ior, towards her husband, that she decided to end her life by jumping into the agnikund of the yagna, where she was united with eternity (since then, she came to be known as Sati). However, she took re-birth and again won Shiva as her groom and peace was restored. It is believed that since then, Uma comes every year with Ganesh, Kar- tik, Saraswati and Laxmi and two of her best friends or 'sakhis', called Jaya and Bijaya, to vis- it her parent's home during Navratri. Durga Shailputri (Daughter of Mountain) : "Shail" means mountains, "Putri" means daugh- ter. Parvati, the daughter of the King of the Moun- tains Himavan, is called 'Shailputri". The first among nine Durgas and 1st night of Navratras is devoted to the puja of Shailputri . Her two hands display a trident and a lotus. Her mount is a bull. The second Durga Shakti is Brahamcharini. Brahma that is who observes penance(tapa) and good conduct. Here "Brahma" means "Tapa". The idol of this Goddess is very gorgeous.One hand hold a "Kumbha" or water pot, and the other holds a rosary. She personifies love and loyalty. Bhram- charini is the store house of knowledge and wis- dom. Rudraksha beads are Her most adored ornaments! Chandraghanta The name of third Shakti is Chandraghanta. There is a half-circular moon in her forehead. She is charmful and bright. She is Golden in color, pos- sesses ten hands and 3 eyes. Eight of her hands display weapons while the remaining two are respectively in the mudras of gestures of boon giving and stopping harm. Chandra + Ghanta, meaning supreme bliss and knowledge, shower- ing peace and serenity, like cool breeze in a moon- lit night. This Durga Shakti rides a tiger. She is mainly worshipped in Tamil Nadu. Kushmanda With the fourth night begins the worship of Kushmanda, possessed of eight arms, holding a weapons and a mala ( rosary), her mount is the tiger and She emanates a solar aura. "Kumbh Bhand" means to see the cosmic dance in the form of Pindi; the knowledge of cosmic intricacies in the human race. The abode of Kushmanda is Bhimaparvat ! Skanda Mata Fifth name of Durga is "Skanda Mata". Ris- ing a lion as Her chosen vehicle, She holds Her son skanda on her lap. She displays three eyes and four hands; two hands holds lotuses while the other two hand display defending and grant- ing mudras, respectively. Its said, by the merch of Skandmata, even the fool becomes an ocean of knowledge. Kaalratri Black (or blue ) skin with bountiful hair and 4 hands, 2 clutching a cleaver and a torch, while the remaining 2 are in the mudras of "giving" and "protecting". Her vehicle is a faithful donkey. The destroyer of darkness and ignorance, Kaalratri is the seventh form of Nav-Durga meaning scourer of darkness; enemy of darkness. Maha Gauri The Eighth Durga is "Maha Gauri." She is as white as a conch, moon and Jasmine. She is of eight years old. With four arms and the fairest complexion of all the Durgas Shaktis, Mahagau- ri radiates peace and compassion. She is often dressed in a white or green sari. She holds a drum and a trident and is often depiected riding a bull. Siddhidatri Ninth Durga is "Siddhidatri". There are eight Siddhis , they are- Anima, Mahima, Garima, Laghima, Prapti, Prakamya, Iishitva & Vashitva.It is said in "Devipuran" that the Supreme God Shiv got all these Siddhies by worshipping Maha Shak- ti. With her gratitude the half body of Shiv has became of Goddess and there fore his name "Ard- hanarishvar" has become famous.Usually shown ensconced a lotus with four arms, She is the grantor of 26 different wishes to Her Bhaktas. http://www.rudraksha-ratna.com/navratri.htm Mohinder Verma Planning and management of pilgrimage des- tinations has become an area of concern across the country because of varied reasons particular- ly from disaster management point of view.Aston- ishingly, this aspect remains out of focus as far as holy town of Katra is concerned. The town locat- ed at an altitude of about 2500 feet above sea level in the Reasi district is popular worldwide because of being base camp for the pilgrimage to cave shrine of Shri Mata Vaishnodevi, the num- ber of which is increasing every year. There is hardly any area, which does not reflect lack of planning and management and the prevailing state of affairs has virtually turned the town into a concrete jungle at the cost of its seren- ity and environment. Nobody knows whether this ill-planned town would be able to withstand the ever increasing number of pilgrims in the com- ing years in case the planning and management fails to receive required attention anymore. The good impression, which pilgrims from different parts of the country keep in their mind about the base camp of world famous pilgrim- age destination before leaving their respective destinations, gets faint when they reach Katra as this town doesn't have anything in the planned manner and chaotic conditions can be seen everywhere. Let us take the example of parking places for the vehicles entering the town carrying pil- grims and inhabitants of Katra and its adjoining areas. As per the official data, around 1740 vehi- cles mainly buses enter the holy town every day but there is no organized and planned parking slot. The only bus stand, which plays host to majority of the buses, gives a pathetic look and is in a very poor condition. The insanitary condi- tion has become hallmark of this bus stand. In order to have spacious and modern bus stand, the administration had identified 418 kanal of land away from the heart of the town in 2006. Surprisingly, modern bus stand remains a dream despite the fact that land was acquired in 2011. No progress could be made in establishing the bus stand as State, as usual, doesn't have resources to meet expenditure of Rs 45 crore. What to talk of sanctioning Rs 45 crore, the Gov- ernment could not even manage Rs 1.20 crore required for fencing the land and construction of approach road so that even idle parking could be shifted to this place till the modern bus stand comes up. The chaotic condition created everyday by the vehicular traffic in the absence of parking places can be gauged from the fact that around 700 autorickshaws are operating in the town and its vicinity but there is parking space only for 200 autorickshaws. The remaining three-wheelers are parked on the road sides and in the lanes. The hotels, which have come up in short span of time on Railway Road in view of opening of Udhampur-Katra railway line in near future, have also been adding to the vehicular chaos as half of the road on either side of the divider is being used as parking place by these business estab- lishments. As far as civic amenities are concerned, the situation is worst as there is no common drain in the town. Only two community toilets have been established to cater to thousands of pilgrims reaching the town every day. Water pipes pass- ing through the heaps of garbage mainly in lanes of the town is a common scene but those respon- sible for ensuring complete sanitation and all civic amenities seem to be in deep slumber or not ready to perform their duties. The insanitation in the town is generally attrib- uted to meager financial assistance to the Munic- ipal Committee of Katra. This may be a logical reason for those at the helm of affairs in this civic body but the same doesn't carry any ground for allowing the famous town to give a pathetic pic- ture to the pilgrims arriving there from different parts of the country and outside. Shockingly, there is no common sewerage treatment plant despite the fact that there are more than 400 hotels in the town. Despite direc- tions albeit with not much vigor from the con- cerned agencies, hoteliers have not paid any attention towards the solid waste management. Till the recent past the solid waste being gener- ated by these hotels was being dumped on Katra- Reasi road in the most careless manner but now on the directions of district administration the dumping of the same in the land identified for set- ting up of common sewerage treatment plant at a different location has begun. The town has virtually turned into concrete jungle as haphazard expansion is going on in blatant violation of building laws right under the nose of the Municipal authorities and those at the helm of affairs in the Katra Development Author- ity. Though Housing and Urban Development Department prepared Master Plans for the town yet there was no compliance of the same and it is feared that if unplanned expansion continues the same will prove disastrous for the town. The town is divided into five zones-two under the Municipal Committee and three under Katra Development Authority. The lack of coordination between these two agencies is giving enough chance for the businessmen to flout the building laws as per their wills and whims. Even the State High Court has taken serious note of this and imposed blanket ban on the construction activi- ties except those projects of Shri Mata Vaishn- odevi Shrine Board, which were under construc- tion prior to imposition of ban. The unplanned growth of the Katra town is going to create major problems especially when trains from different parts of the country would start reaching there in near future. The opening of Udhampur-Katra section would significantly increase the number of pilgrims and put immense pressure on the already inadequate infrastructure. It has been learnt that District Administra- tion, keeping in view the expected rise in theArmy traffic following opening of Udhampur-Katra sec- tion, has approached the Railway authorities for creation of separate parking space for Army vehi- cles. This aspect failed to receive due attention of the Railway authorities when they were con- structing parking lot for the civil vehicles. Some amendments in the Katra Development Author- ity Master Plan have also been sought for cre- ation of more parking places and green zones. The prevailing chaotic condition in the Katra town demands that all the Government agencies particularly Katra Development Authority, Munic- ipal Committee, Shrine Board, District Adminis- tration and Legislators from the district should sit together and chalk out strategy to ensure prop- er planning and management of the base camp of Shri Mata Vaishnodevi pilgrimage. It is their duty to see that facilities are increased in conso- nance with the increase in the pilgrimage and pil- grims from different parts of the country carry good impression about the town on their return after paying obeisance to Shri Mata Vaishnode- vi. SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2013 INTERNET EDITION : www.dailyexcelsior.com/magazine BOOKING OPEN 2BHK/3BHK FLATS at Gurgaon, Noida, Noida Extension, Greater Noida Cont: 9419101229, 94191-76665 ENTRUST REALTORS & CONSULTANTS www .jammuproperty .com Katra a casualty of mismanagement THE FESTIVAL OF NAVRATRAS -Excelsior/Rakesh A pathetic picture of Katra Town WHA THAT SAY According to Rakesh Wazir, Vice-Presi- dent of Katra Hotels and Restaurant Associ- ation, complete failure on the part of concerned Government agencies is responsible for the chaotic condition of holy town. "Had there been proper coordination between all the Government agencies including Municipal Committee and Katra Development Authority Katra town would have been much better as compared to its pres- ent condition", he says. "Till the recent past Katra Municipal Com- mittee was earning Rs 10 crore to 12 crore per year and but this amount was not utilized for the holistic and planned development of the town", he further says and adds, "as the pilgrimage is growing every year and is likely to go up consid- erably following arrival of train all the Govern- ment agencies should collectively chalk out a strategy so as to ensure its further development in a planned manner". ***** According to Raman Kumar, a shopkeep- er, "we have never witnessed coordination between the Shrine Board, Municipal Commit- tee and Katra Development Authority in the development of the town. All these agencies are toeing their separate lines and ultimately the suf- ferers are pilgrims and the inhabitants of the town". "It is a matter of serious concern that Munic- ipal Committee, whose primary job is to ensure proper sanitation in the town, has failed to per- form. The heaps of garbage on the sides of roads and lanes clearly speaks about the performance of the Municipal Committee", he says and adds, "what do you expect from a municipal body which cannot provide even sanitation". He alleges that congestion in the town and inordinate delay in construction of new bus stand is also the outcome of lack of coordination between the Government agencies. "There is administrative failure at every level otherwise this town should have been a well and properly developed town with all facilities", he adds. ***** District Development Commissioner, Reasi, Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary says, "the Union Ministry of Urban Development has recently agreed to sanction Rs 45 crore new bus stand project and it has asked for preparation of Detailed Project Report (DPR), which is being drafted by the Housing and Urban Development Department of State Government". As far as solid waste management is con- cerned, the Union Ministry has sanctioned Rs 12 crore for land management and preparation of Detailed Project Report for the common treat- ment plant, further says and adds the adminis- tration has started video-graphy of existing build- ing laws violations to check further addition in the long list. "We are making all out efforts to ensure that no pilgrim faces any kind of difficulty and further expansion of the Katra town takes places strictly as per the Master Plan", Dr Shahid further says.
Transcript of Cont: 9419101229, 94191-76665 ENTRUST REALTORS &...
The festival of Navratri (nav = nine and ratri =nights) lasts for 9 days with three days each devot-ed to worship of Maa Durga, the Goddess of Val-or, Ma Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth and MaaSaraswati, the Goddess of Knowledge. Duringthe nine days of Navratri, feasting and fasting takeprecedence over all normal daily activitiesamongst the Hindus. Evenings give rise to the reli-gious dances in order to worhip Goddess DurgaMaa.
The 9 nights festival of Navratri begins on thefirst day of Ashwina of the bright fortnight. Seedsare sown, sprouting is watched, the planets areconsecrated, and on the 8th and 9th days, God-dess Durga, Vijayashtami and Mahanavami areworshipped. The Devi Mahatmya and other textsinvoking the Goddess who vanquished demonsare cited.
1st - 3rd day of Navratri On the first day of theNavaratras, a small bed of mud is prepared in thepuja room and barley seeds are sown on it. Theseinitial days are dedicated to Durga Maa, the God-dess of power and energy.
4th - 6th day of Navratri During these days,Lakshmi Maa, the Goddess of peace and pros-perity is worshipped.
7th - 8th day of Navratri These final daysbelong to Saraswati Maa who is worshipped toacquire the spiritual knowledge. This in turn willfree us from all earthly bondage. But on the 8thday of this colourful festival, yagna (holy fire) isperformed.
Mahanavami The festival of Navratri culmi-nates in Mahanavami. On this day Kanya Puja isperformed. Nine young girls representing the nineforms of Goddess Durga are worshiped.
North India LegendThe legend in North India goes that Mahisha-
sura, the mighty demon, worshipped Lord Shivaand obtained the power of eternity. Soon, he start-ed killing and harassing innocent people and set
out to win all the three lokas. The gods in swar-galoka appealed to Lord Shiva, to find a way toget rid of the demon. To protect the world from theatrocities of Mahishasura, the Trinity of Brahma,Vishnu and Shiva united their powers and creat-ed a divine female warrior, known as GoddessDurga. Mahishasura, when he saw the divinebeauty of Goddess Durga, got mesmerized.
So fascinated was Mahishasura by GoddessDurga's beauty that he approached her with theintention of marriage. The goddess agreed tomarry him, but put forth a condition - Mahishasurawould have to win over her in a battle. Mahisha-sura, proud as he was, agreed immediately! Thebattle continued for 9 nights and at the end of theninth night, Goddess Durga beheaded Mahisha-sura. The nine nights came to be known as Navra-tri, while the tenth day was called Vijayadashmi,the tenth day that brought the triumph of goodover evil.
Eastern Belief As per the legend prevalent in East India, Dak-
sha, the king of the Himalayas, had a beautifuland virtuous daughter called Uma. She wished tomarry Lord Shiva, since her childhood. In orderto win over the Lord, she worshipped him andmanaged to please him as well. When Shiva final-ly came to marry her, the tiger-skin clad groomdispleased Daksha and he broke off all the rela-tionships with his daughter and son-in-law. Onefine day, Daksha organized a yagna, but did notinvite Lord Shiva for the same.
Uma got so angry at her father's rude behav-ior, towards her husband, that she decided to endher life by jumping into the agnikund of the yagna,where she was united with eternity (since then,she came to be known as Sati). However, shetook re-birth and again won Shiva as her groomand peace was restored. It is believed that sincethen, Uma comes every year with Ganesh, Kar-tik, Saraswati and Laxmi and two of her best
friends or 'sakhis', called Jaya and Bijaya, to vis-it her parent's home during Navratri.
Durga Shailputri (Daughter of Mountain) :"Shail" means mountains, "Putri" means daugh-ter. Parvati, the daughter of the King of the Moun-tains Himavan, is called 'Shailputri". The firstamong nine Durgas and 1st night of Navratras isdevoted to the puja of Shailputri . Her two handsdisplay a trident and a lotus. Her mount is a bull.
The second Durga Shakti is Brahamcharini.Brahma that is who observes penance(tapa) andgood conduct. Here "Brahma" means "Tapa". Theidol of this Goddess is very gorgeous.One handhold a "Kumbha" or water pot, and the other holdsa rosary. She personifies love and loyalty. Bhram-charini is the store house of knowledge and wis-dom. Rudraksha beads are Her most adoredornaments!
ChandraghantaThe name of third Shakti is Chandraghanta.
There is a half-circular moon in her forehead. Sheis charmful and bright. She is Golden in color, pos-sesses ten hands and 3 eyes. Eight of her handsdisplay weapons while the remaining two arerespectively in the mudras of gestures of boongiving and stopping harm. Chandra + Ghanta,meaning supreme bliss and knowledge, shower-ing peace and serenity, like cool breeze in a moon-lit night. This Durga Shakti rides a tiger. She ismainly worshipped in Tamil Nadu.
KushmandaWith the fourth night begins the worship of
Kushmanda, possessed of eight arms, holdinga weapons and a mala ( rosary), her mount isthe tiger and She emanates a solar aura."Kumbh Bhand" means to see the cosmic dancein the form of Pindi; the knowledge of cosmicintricacies in the human race. The abode ofKushmanda is Bhimaparvat !
Skanda Mata
Fifth name of Durga is "Skanda Mata". Ris-ing a lion as Her chosen vehicle, She holds Herson skanda on her lap. She displays three eyesand four hands; two hands holds lotuses whilethe other two hand display defending and grant-ing mudras, respectively. Its said, by the merchof Skandmata, even the fool becomes an oceanof knowledge.
KaalratriBlack (or blue ) skin with bountiful hair and 4
hands, 2 clutching a cleaver and a torch, whilethe remaining 2 are in the mudras of "giving" and"protecting". Her vehicle is a faithful donkey. Thedestroyer of darkness and ignorance, Kaalratriis the seventh form of Nav-Durga meaningscourer of darkness; enemy of darkness.
Maha GauriThe Eighth Durga is "Maha Gauri." She is as
white as a conch, moon and Jasmine. She is of
eight years old. With four arms and the fairestcomplexion of all the Durgas Shaktis, Mahagau-ri radiates peace and compassion. She is oftendressed in a white or green sari. She holds adrum and a trident and is often depiected ridinga bull.
Siddhidatri
Ninth Durga is "Siddhidatri". There are eight
Siddhis , they are- Anima, Mahima, Garima,
Laghima, Prapti, Prakamya, Iishitva & Vashitva.It
is said in "Devipuran" that the Supreme God Shiv
got all these Siddhies by worshipping Maha Shak-
ti. With her gratitude the half body of Shiv has
became of Goddess and there fore his name "Ard-
hanarishvar" has become famous.Usually shown
ensconced a lotus with four arms, She is the grantor
of 26 different wishes to Her Bhaktas. http://www.rudraksha-ratna.com/navratri.htm
Mohinder Verma
Planning and management of pilgrimage des-tinations has become an area of concern acrossthe country because of varied reasons particular-ly from disaster management point of view. Aston-ishingly, this aspect remains out of focus as far asholy town of Katra is concerned. The town locat-ed at an altitude of about 2500 feet above sealevel in the Reasi district is popular worldwidebecause of being base camp for the pilgrimageto cave shrine of Shri Mata Vaishnodevi, the num-ber of which is increasing every year.
There is hardly any area, which does notreflect lack of planning and management and theprevailing state of affairs has virtually turned thetown into a concrete jungle at the cost of its seren-ity and environment. Nobody knows whether thisill-planned town would be able to withstand theever increasing number of pilgrims in the com-ing years in case the planning and managementfails to receive required attention anymore.
The good impression, which pilgrims fromdifferent parts of the country keep in their mindabout the base camp of world famous pilgrim-age destination before leaving their respectivedestinations, gets faint when they reach Katra asthis town doesn't have anything in the plannedmanner and chaotic conditions can be seeneverywhere.
Let us take the example of parking placesfor the vehicles entering the town carrying pil-grims and inhabitants of Katra and its adjoiningareas. As per the official data, around 1740 vehi-cles mainly buses enter the holy town every daybut there is no organized and planned parkingslot. The only bus stand, which plays host tomajority of the buses, gives a pathetic look andis in a very poor condition. The insanitary condi-tion has become hallmark of this bus stand.
In order to have spacious and modern busstand, the administration had identified 418 kanalof land away from the heart of the town in 2006.Surprisingly, modern bus stand remains a dreamdespite the fact that land was acquired in 2011.No progress could be made in establishing thebus stand as State, as usual, doesn't haveresources to meet expenditure of Rs 45 crore.What to talk of sanctioning Rs 45 crore, the Gov-ernment could not even manage Rs 1.20 crorerequired for fencing the land and construction ofapproach road so that even idle parking could beshifted to this place till the modern bus standcomes up.
The chaotic condition created everyday bythe vehicular traffic in the absence of parkingplaces can be gauged from the fact that around700 autorickshaws are operating in the town andits vicinity but there is parking space only for 200autorickshaws. The remaining three-wheelersare parked on the road sides and in the lanes.The hotels, which have come up in short span oftime on Railway Road in view of opening ofUdhampur-Katra railway line in near future, havealso been adding to the vehicular chaos as half
of the road on either side of the divider is beingused as parking place by these business estab-lishments.
As far as civic amenities are concerned, thesituation is worst as there is no common drain inthe town. Only two community toilets have beenestablished to cater to thousands of pilgrimsreaching the town every day. Water pipes pass-ing through the heaps of garbage mainly in lanesof the town is a common scene but those respon-sible for ensuring complete sanitation and all civicamenities seem to be in deep slumber or notready to perform their duties.
The insanitation in the town is generally attrib-uted to meager financial assistance to the Munic-ipal Committee of Katra. This may be a logicalreason for those at the helm of affairs in this civicbody but the same doesn't carry any ground forallowing the famous town to give a pathetic pic-ture to the pilgrims arriving there from differentparts of the country and outside.
Shockingly, there is no common seweragetreatment plant despite the fact that there aremore than 400 hotels in the town. Despite direc-tions albeit with not much vigor from the con-cerned agencies, hoteliers have not paid anyattention towards the solid waste management.Till the recent past the solid waste being gener-ated by these hotels was being dumped on Katra-
Reasi road in the most careless manner but nowon the directions of district administration thedumping of the same in the land identified for set-ting up of common sewerage treatment plant ata different location has begun.
The town has virtually turned into concretejungle as haphazard expansion is going on inblatant violation of building laws right under thenose of the Municipal authorities and those at thehelm of affairs in the Katra Development Author-ity. Though Housing and Urban DevelopmentDepartment prepared Master Plans for the townyet there was no compliance of the same and itis feared that if unplanned expansion continuesthe same will prove disastrous for the town.
The town is divided into five zones-two underthe Municipal Committee and three under KatraDevelopment Authority. The lack of coordinationbetween these two agencies is giving enoughchance for the businessmen to flout the buildinglaws as per their wills and whims. Even the StateHigh Court has taken serious note of this andimposed blanket ban on the construction activi-ties except those projects of Shri Mata Vaishn-odevi Shrine Board, which were under construc-tion prior to imposition of ban.
The unplanned growth of the Katra town isgoing to create major problems especially whentrains from different parts of the country would start
reaching there in near future. The opening ofUdhampur-Katra section would significantlyincrease the number of pilgrims and put immensepressure on the already inadequate infrastructure.
It has been learnt that District Administra-tion, keeping in view the expected rise in the Armytraffic following opening of Udhampur-Katra sec-tion, has approached the Railway authorities forcreation of separate parking space for Army vehi-cles. This aspect failed to receive due attentionof the Railway authorities when they were con-structing parking lot for the civil vehicles. Someamendments in the Katra Development Author-ity Master Plan have also been sought for cre-ation of more parking places and green zones.
The prevailing chaotic condition in the Katratown demands that all the Government agenciesparticularly Katra Development Authority, Munic-ipal Committee, Shrine Board, District Adminis-tration and Legislators from the district should sittogether and chalk out strategy to ensure prop-er planning and management of the base campof Shri Mata Vaishnodevi pilgrimage. It is theirduty to see that facilities are increased in conso-nance with the increase in the pilgrimage and pil-grims from different parts of the country carrygood impression about the town on their returnafter paying obeisance to Shri Mata Vaishnode-vi.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2013 INTERNET EDITION : www.dailyexcelsior.com/magazine
BOOKING OPEN2BHK/3BHK FLATS
at Gurgaon, Noida,
Noida Extension, Greater Noida
Cont: 9419101229, 94191-76665ENTRUST
REALTORS & CONSULTANTS
www.jammuproperty.com
Katra a casualty of mismanagement
THE FESTIVALOF NAVRATRAS
-Excelsior/RakeshA pathetic picture of Katra Town
WHA THAT SAYAccording to Rakesh Wazir, Vice-Presi-
dent of Katra Hotels and Restaurant Associ-ation, complete failure on the part of concernedGovernment agencies is responsible for thechaotic condition of holy town. "Had there beenproper coordination between all the Governmentagencies including Municipal Committee andKatra Development Authority Katra town wouldhave been much better as compared to its pres-ent condition", he says.
"Till the recent past Katra Municipal Com-mittee was earning Rs 10 crore to 12 crore peryear and but this amount was not utilized for theholistic and planned development of the town",he further says and adds, "as the pilgrimage isgrowing every year and is likely to go up consid-erably following arrival of train all the Govern-ment agencies should collectively chalk out astrategy so as to ensure its further developmentin a planned manner".
*****According to Raman Kumar, a shopkeep-
er, "we have never witnessed coordinationbetween the Shrine Board, Municipal Commit-tee and Katra Development Authority in thedevelopment of the town. All these agencies aretoeing their separate lines and ultimately the suf-ferers are pilgrims and the inhabitants of thetown".
"It is a matter of serious concern that Munic-ipal Committee, whose primary job is to ensureproper sanitation in the town, has failed to per-form. The heaps of garbage on the sides of roadsand lanes clearly speaks about the performanceof the Municipal Committee", he says and adds,"what do you expect from a municipal body whichcannot provide even sanitation".
He alleges that congestion in the town andinordinate delay in construction of new bus standis also the outcome of lack of coordinationbetween the Government agencies. "There isadministrative failure at every level otherwisethis town should have been a well and properlydeveloped town with all facilities", he adds.
*****District Development Commissioner,
Reasi, Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary says, "theUnion Ministry of Urban Development hasrecently agreed to sanction Rs 45 crore new busstand project and it has asked for preparation ofDetailed Project Report (DPR), which is beingdrafted by the Housing and Urban DevelopmentDepartment of State Government".
As far as solid waste management is con-cerned, the Union Ministry has sanctioned Rs12 crore for land management and preparationof Detailed Project Report for the common treat-ment plant, further says and adds the adminis-tration has started video-graphy of existing build-ing laws violations to check further addition inthe long list.
"We are making all out efforts to ensure thatno pilgrim faces any kind of difficulty and furtherexpansion of the Katra town takes places strictlyas per the Master Plan", Dr Shahid further says.
