Protest in Katra against ropeway plan for Vaishno Devi temple
Vaishno Devi shrine is a very famous temple located atop a hillock (Trikuta Hills) overlooking Katra township in Reasi district of Jammu division. The protesters claim the ropeway will deprive over 60,000 families of their livelihood.
KATRA (Jammu), Oct 29: Hoteliers, shopkeepers, pony owners and labourers held
a street protest in Katra on Tuesday against the plan for a ropeway to Vaishno
Devi temple.
Vaishno Devi shrine is a very famous temple located atop a hillock (Trikuta
Hills) overlooking Katra township in Reasi district of Jammu.
The protesters sat on a dharna carrying banners saying “No to Ropeway”, and
raised slogans demanding that the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board drop the
proposed ropeway project. They said the protests will continue until the ropeway
project is shelved. An indefinite hunger strike is planned.
The protesters claim the ropeway will deprive over 60,000 families of their
livelihood.
The Rs 250-cr ropeway will connect Katra base camp with Sanjichhat, over a
12-km steep track to the cave shrine. Sanjichhat is a platau 2.5 km away from
the temple where helicopters land. From Sanjichhat pilgrims reach the temple
on foot or ponies or palanquins. Work has started on the new project. The project
will create a new gondola system (cable car) to reduce the 12 km trek to a 6-8
minute ride. It is scheduled to be completed by June 2027 and operations to
start in 2028.
New Tarakote Marg
There are multiple routes to Vaishno Devi. The traditional route is Katra-Banganga-Charan
Paduka-Adhkuwari-Himkoti- Sanjichhat-Bhawan. The starting point of the 12 km
yatra is Banganga, 1.5 km from Katra main city. A second route, the Tarakote
Marg is a new, concreted, comfortable 7-km track merging with the old trekking
route near Adhkuwari. The route is: Katra-Tarakote-Adhkuwari-Himkoti-Sanjichhat-Bhawan.
Katra to Tarakote Marg Gate is 2.5 km. A third route is helicopter service (Katra
to Sanjichhat, followed by a 2.5 trek to the Bhawan). A fourth way is battery
car route from Himkoti to Bhawan. A fifth route is a ropeway (cable car) from
Bhawan to Bhairon temple (3 minutes, Rs 100) situated on an adjacent hill where
trekking is too harduous (a steep one-hour trek). The Vaishno Devi pilgrimage
is said to be incomplete without a darshan at Bhairon temple.
The new Tarakote Marg (Banganga to Adhkuwari) is 6-metre wide, 7 km pedestrian-only
track with a ramp-type design and no steps. It is made of anti-skid tiles, easier
for walking. The amenities include covered shelters, two 'bhojanalayas', seven
toilet blocks, medical units and 16 water ATMs for free filtered drinking water.
Ponies, porters or battery cars are not allowed.
This track, completed in 7 years costing Rs 80 cr and opened in May 2018, was
laid as an alternative to the older, traditional trekking route (via Charan-paduka)
which allows services like ponies and porters, but has been temporarily closed
due to landslides.
Siar Dabri-Bhawan Material Ropeway
In order to decongest the traditional route, where the temple was using mules
and carts to transport its goods for daily use, a ropeway was built and opened
on the same day, in May 2018, as Tarakote Marg—Siar Dabri-Bhawan Material Ropeway
(between Siar Dabri, near Katra, and the shrine), an electrically operated ropeway
system. It transports materials like food, construction supplies, and prasad
from Siar Dabri to the Bhawan (shrine) and carry scrap and waste materials back.
Last November also, the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Sangharsh Samiti had held a
week-long bandh to protest against new ropeway plan.
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A comment on social media on Kanimozhi's answer on the question of national language read: "Daughter of Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi. Delivered the Birthday Present to her Father!!" (Karunanidhi was born on June 3, 1924)
(Today's headlines )
Trump said, "Elon is not really leaving" and will be "back and forth" to the White House because DOGE is his "baby." "I think he’s going to be doing a lot of things.”
Musk wrote: "My scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end... The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government." Now on it will be on auto-pilot.
PROGNOSIS: DOGE was prematurely born to protect the country by aborting an impending socio-economic disaster which very few people could see coming.
Although its immediate job was to save American taxpayers billions by slashing waste, eliminating fraud, cutting Government bloat and ensuring utmost efficiency in administration for the good of the people.
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"Coming from a system like in England, empowering," she says she never had an idea of this sort of experience... being asked to “socialise with middle-aged men” who financed the event...humiliating...
Originally from Junagadh, Gujarat, Pataudi was relocated to Etawah Lion Safari in September 2019 before being transferred to Gorakhpur Zoo in 2021. Recently it was receiving treatment for pancreatic and liver infections. After tigress Shakti died in the zoo on May 7 due to bird flu, Pataudi was shifted to Kanpur. Some birds are also reported to have died mysteriously around Gorakhpur. All zoos in UP are closed for fear of a bird flu outbreak.
Three other animals too had died - a tiger, a leopardess and a female wolf. Wolf Bhairavi died last Saturday, leopardess Mona died the Thursday before that and tiger Kesari died on March 30. Some of them had Shakti's symptoms but the cause of death has not been confirmed yet.
As tourist inflow is an indicator of normalcy returning to an erstwhile terrorist infested Valley, the Government has been trying hard to make everything travel-friendly, launching lot many projects and bringing Kashmir on the national rail map that physically completes the process of Kashmir's integration with the rest of India. And that defeats the designs of Pakistan eyeing Kashmir and simply explains a recrudescence of terrorism in J&K.
"It's a big victory not just for Tamil Nadu but for all Indian States. DMK will continue to struggle for and win State autonomy and Federal polity," Chief Minister MK Stalin said.
Of 2.08 km in length, it features 99 spans and a 72.5-metre vertical lift span that rises up to a height of 17 metres, facilitating smooth movement of ships while ensuring seamless train services to the holy town of Rameswaram on Pamban island.
ANALYSIS: There is a lot of hue and cry around the world over Trump's tariffs. But tariff, simply put, is a tax. But unlike tax, it affects the exporting country too. Domestic prices will go up for some time. Nothing more will happen, good or bad!
What motivated Trump's newfound policy, apart from being a stunt to justify his existence in the White House, is a false realisation that increased tariff will make foreign goods prohibitive, thereby boosting local production, and create more jobs, and more prosperity will ring in! If that is true, India would have been shining by now: Producing own Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail and Scotch Whiskies! And what about coconut and palm oil by America!
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PROGNOSIS: It looks a Real New Trump is emerging - courageous, balanced, powerful and disinterested. Determined to save his country from the cliff, he has done quite a few draconian things that will reduce the burden of debts of the Federal entity, like the golden handshake, stopping senseless funding, pulling out of a worthless WHO. Shutting the Education Department is another. On the other hand, running it is also not the Centre's job either (We will convincingly elaborate it in the next chapter).
In India the scene is just the opposite. Centralisation is the core agenda and identity of the ruling dispensation without which it has no existence, or in other words, it exists for that set of schemes only. A realisation of this never dawned upon any Opposition party in 2014 or any time thereafter, what to talk of being able to see it coming 70 years ago! The consequence of all this violation of basic natural law of the universe we cannot predict.
THE AMERICAN CONUNDRUM: Political venom has migrated to top echelons in the US. It was reported last year NASA has become politicised, vitiated. But NASA refuted the charge. How Boeing developed a glitch but its unmanned return was smooth. When Suni-Wilmore were stranded last June, why the return was set for February? Because that comes only after January 20! SpaceX called the shots, for itself and for Trump. Then the mission was manipulated for March for a better bargain! In between, what made Elon Musk 'predict' during campaign if Kamala Harris wins he would be in jail. In politics, it is said, "the only rule is there are no rules." Difficult times for Americans too.
The terminations are part of a large-scale exercise going on all across Fed departments and organisations to reduce wasteful Government expenditure as decided by a Trump in a mess gone berserk, and improve administrative efficiency following the whims of billionaire and his associate Elon MusK and his DOGE. It has not been shared how terminations are going to raise the efficiency bar! It looks like Trump has stolen some of the prescriptions meant for India. But the American problems are quite different.
Suddenly these colonial clerks feel this effortless, little rule will tremendously enhance security and convenience for the railway passengers manifold. More stations will be covered in the next 77 years! (Also See:
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ANALYSIS: "The standard operating procedure for deportations by aircraft used by ICE that is effective from 2012 provides for the use of restraints," says the Government. That means, it is taken for granted the US will set the standard for deportations. For another, the Government is more interested in comparing with what happened in 2012 under a different Government to justify its own compliance! No surprise, others are trampling upon us. (How we conduct ourselves inside decides, inherently, how we are treated outside) Thirdly, the Government blamed the gangs doing the business of human trafficking for the illegal migration. For all the crimes taking place in the country, let us blame the criminals! Funny! We will never move an inch forward! The mindset defines what we are.
Meanwhile, a UN-returned Congress leader Shashi Tharoor sounded like a layman when he said, "If they are citizens of India we have an obligation to take them back." Who said 'No'?. He should know that is not the issue now. Who will identify an undocumented person, and how?
OPINION: A nutty 'new' Trump must know checking illegal immigration is his job and not theirs. And 'penalty' tariff is not a solution. However, Trump talking about "major threat" from "illegal aliens" (illegal immigration) is about what he believes, right or wrong, and to that extent he is genuine and honest; it is certainly not a pretension to prop up his political relevance. Bullies are always true to themselves. Look at India's crooked politicians shouting day in, day out to prove they are more patriotic, and to whip up public sentiments for them to ride on!
The function was held indoors from 12 pm (10:30 pm IST) at the rotunda of the US Capitol building because of unusually intense cold and snow. Delivering his inaugural address, Trump remarked, “The golden age of America begins right now," and just hours later signed a slew of executive orders to redeem the election pledges.
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