Katra: Standing outside a three-decade-old tea shop at Banganga, the iconic gateway to the Vaishno Devi shrine, Sonu Thakur declared: “The fight is far from over.”
His words gave rise to a chorus by the crowd of two dozen pony operators and shopkeepers: “Hum berozgar ho jayenge, agar ropeway yeh banayenge (We will lose our livelihoods if they built the ropeway.)” Thakur goes around giving updates on the ropeway project. It is at such mini gatherings he finds support.
Thakur, a member of the Vaishno Devi Sangharsh Samiti (VDSS), is mobilising people against the Rs 250-crore ropeway project that aims to connect Tarakote marg to Sanji Chhat, reducing the 13-kilometer trek to the shrine that takes 5-6 hours on foot to just six minutes.
The VDSS represents 60,000 shopkeepers, pony operators, and palanquin carriers, and was formed in the backdrop of the announcement of the ropeway project. The VDSS has said that the ropeway would undermine the religious sanctity of the shrine as the project short circuits Hindu mythology.
“The central government wants to turn a pilgrimage into a picnic spot. The path to the Vaishno Devi shrine mirrors the path taken by the Mata. And what is pilgrimage about if not perseverance, and journey. The Vaishno Devi Shrine board wants to commercialise the route to the bhawan (sanctum sanctorum) while snatching the livelihoods of thousands of people,” said Beli Ram, chairman, VDSS.
The foothill town of Katra is witnessing a fresh round of development vs livelihood debate. But unlike the past initiatives of connectivity such as battery-powered cars from Ardhkunwari to Bhawan and helicopter rides, the ropeway project is being seen as the biggest killer of local businesses. A CRPF vehicle was attacked by local protesters a month ago and 18 persons, including members of VDSS, were arrested and later released. Protests, shutdowns, lathicharge and troubled devotees have been the theme here for the past few weeks.
For once, all political parties seem to be on one side—they have opposed the central government project. Even the local BJP MP is of the view the ropeway shouldn’t be built at its current location. As for the local business community, it’s a fight to stop the coming up of a parallel economy set up by the shrine board at Tarakote.
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A new route not taking off
It is the seven-kilometer-long Tarakote Marg, constructed by the Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (VDSB) and inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018, that has become a major point of contention between the shrine board and the protestors.
The protestors said that by starting the ropeway from Tarakote to Sanji Chhat, the Shrine board is trying to shift the base camp from Katra to Tarakote. And that would be a big blow to Katra’s economy.
“They are not only bringing the ropeway but through this project they are also trying to shift the base camp. The new base camp is a threat to the old route and everyone relying for their livelihood on it,” said Rajesh Sadotra, councillor of the Samiti.
Locals link the Tarakote route not taking off to faith. Pilgrims prefer taking the route that intercepts the cave where the goddess is believed to have stayed while escaping the demon. Other reasons include lack of ponies, palaquin, trolley carriers etc. If a pilgrim enquires about which route to take, local people actively persuade them to choose the old, historic path to the cave shrine.
The central government wants to turn a pilgrimage into a picnic spot. The path to the Vaishno Devi shrine mirrors the path taken by the Mata. And what is pilgrimage about if not perseverance, and journey.
Beli Ram, chairman, VDSS
The old route to Vaishno Devi shrine goes from Banganga, Charan Paduka, Ardkuwari before reaching the cave where the goddess is residing. Along this path, generations of pony operators, palanquin carriers, trolley pullers, and shopkeepers have built their livelihoods. It is dotted with small businesses catering to pilgrims. From food stalls to souvenir shops and palanquins and ponies steadily moving along the serpentine trail.
The Sangarsh Samiti’s concerns extend to the growing jurisdiction of the Vaishno Devi Shrine Board. According to the Samiti, the board aims to make the old route obsolete, effectively commercialising the entire pathway to the shrine while excluding the local community.
ThePrint tried to get in touch via phone call and email with the Vaishno Devi Shrine Board but received no response.
When ThePrint visited the Tarakote Marg—a wider, well-tilled and less-steeper route compared to the old one—very few devotees were travelling the new route. Unlike the bustling old pathway, the Tarakote Marg was devoid of commercial eateries, featuring only a handful of Shrine board Bhojanalayas catering to devotees.
A source within the Jammu and Kashmir administration accepted that the Tarakote Marg has been unable to take off and has been witnessing low footfall since it became operational.
Former BJP MLA from Reasi, Ajay Nanda said that to create the Tarakote Marg, the Trikuta hills were tampered with. When Nanda became the MLA in 2014, the Tarakote route was already established. Protests had broken out back then too.
Since then, the sentiment in Katra has been that the shrine board is trying to bypass Katra town and create a new town in Tarakote where it will hire its own people, and build its own economy after destroying the livelihood of thousands, said Nanda.
“The construction of the new route involved blasting through the mountains, leading to landslides during the rainy season along the Tarakote route. The people protested, and it was decided that the Marg would start from Banganga, and tourists would decide which path they want to take,” said Nanda.
However, tourists did not take the Tarakote Marg for the trek. Instead, they followed the old route to reach the bhawan.
“That is because of the religious significance of the old route. The new route doesn’t offer that. Also, while the new route has wide roads, it is a jungle and isolated. Despite free langars by the shrine board, pilgrims are choosing the old route,” Nanda added.
Nanda said the Tarakote Marg is only used by VIPs and ministers who come for darshan.
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Fear in the community
28-year-old Baraj is the third-generation owner of a small tea-cum-grocery shop at the starting point of the trek at Banganga. Outside his shop, looming Trikuta hills, overlook the serpentine roads. The chant of ‘Om Namah Shivay’ from the loudspeakers fills the air.
Baraj had joined the protest with his help Bindu when the construction of the ropeway project had started in November.
“This shop has sustained my family for decades. If the ropeway comes, no pilgrim will stop at my shop for tea; they’ll prefer the quick journey through the cable car,” said Baraj. The uncertainty surrounding the project has forced him to shelve his plans of expanding the shop.
Baraj was planning to marry, but before that, he wanted to expand his shop and build a larger business than what his father and grandfather had.
“If they snatch our jobs, we’ll obviously hit the streets,” he said.
In Katra town, the sentiment of uncertainty echoes across the hotels, souvenir, garment and food shops. The new train route connecting Delhi to Kashmir is another cause of worry to locals who say it will impact tourism in Katra. They fear tourists will opt for the cable car through the new ropeway to Vaishno Devi, complete their darshan, and then board the train back to Srinagar, bypassing local hotels altogether.
Vikram Singh, a hotelier from Jammu and Kashmir, said that if the ropeway begins operations, tourists will stop booking hotels in Katra. Singh has been running a 12-room hotel since 2010. He also owns nine shops near the Charanpaduka temple, including those selling dry fruits, artificial jewelry, massage services, and beverages.
“Why would they book hotels in Katra? They would take the cable car to the shrine, return, and then leave for Srinagar. If the cable car is helping them to wind up the darshan in two hours, why would they book the hotel? With the historical route, tourists stay in Katra for at least 2-3 days,” he said.
But for 60-year-old Sher Singh, who was planning his retirement in five years after marrying off his fourth daughter, every day is a challenge. He now starts his days early so he can at least make two trips, so that if the project comes through, he will have enough money saved by then.
“At this age, I can’t learn anything new, but all I can do is try and make more money.”
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A divided BJP
When Jammu BJP MP Jugal Kishore Sharma didn’t come to meet the protesting shopkeepers and pony operators for a month-and-a-half, posters asking, “Missing MP. Where is he?” came up across Katra.
Days later, Sharma came to meet the Sangharsh Samiti members and assured them that the project will be scrapped if they don’t want it. Sharma’s visit to Katra was seen as a win by the Samiti members who said that BJP is trying to stay away from the entire ropeway project protest.
“Had there been elections, BJP would have openly rejected this project and the central government would have also accepted it. But now, after people voted them to power. They are showing their true colours,” said a Samiti member, who was also arrested for protesting.
But with former MLA Nanda and J&K Vishwa Hindu Parishad secretary Karan Singh coming out in support of the protestors, the BJP had no choice but to measure their stand. This has also divided the BJP into two camps — one led by figures such as Nanda has openly supported the protestors; the other camp, while not opposing the protestors, is reluctant to criticise the central government.
“LG Manoj Sinha is from the BJP and also serves as the chairman of the Vaishno Devi Shrine Board. So, the BJP didn’t want to go against the LG, but when he didn’t listen, they had no choice but to support the people,” said Karan Singh.
Singh stated that Jammu division’s economy is heavily reliant on Vaishno Devi in Katra, and any disruption would lead to widespread resentment against the BJP.
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‘Won’t forget the arrests’
26-year-old Sahil Thakur was arrested along with 17 others while protesting against the ropeway project on 25 December. Soon after, he was taken to the Reasi district jail and from there the protestors were divided into groups– few transferred to Udhampur district jail and others kept at the Reasi jail.
They thought they would keep us behind the bars for a week and we would silently succumb to their pressure and let the ropeway project take place. But, we didn’t
Sahil Thakur
Thakur called the arrests “unlawful and against the democratic spirit”. He said that the arrests were made to break the spirit of the protestors but it didn’t.
“They thought they would keep us behind the bars for a week and we would silently succumb to their pressure and let the ropeway project take place. But, we didn’t,” Thakur said.
After the arrests, Katra saw another round of protests. The family members of those arrested came out on streets and were supported by the local people. A call for shutdown was given and some also sat on hunger strike.
A week later, on the midnight of 31 December, the protestors were released, and the L-G mandated the formation of a committee to resolve all issues related to the ropeway project.
After their release, when Thakur reached Katra, he, along with others, was welcomed by a rousing crowd of local people, with dhols playing in the background.
Memories of December protests and the arrests aren’t fading easily. Sonu Thakur’s stand against the ropeway project has only solidified after the police action. His days are spent actively mobilising people and sharing the harrowing details of his time in jail.
“In jail, they kept us with militants from Kashmir. Are we militants or terrorists, asking for our rights?” he asked.
(Edited by Anurag Chaubey)
Ms. Kissu, can I kiss u?
The locals at such pilgrimage sites usually are leeches. Their only goal in life is to maximize their profits at the cost of the hapless pilgrims. They exploit the religious sentiments of the devout to get rich.
Any initiative by the govt to facilitate pilgrimage and lessen their dependence on these leeches, quite naturally, upsets these leeches.