On Sunday, hundreds of people in Katra protested against plans to build a ropeway for pilgrims visiting the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir. They marched through the main market, led by former minister Jugal Kishore Sharma.
The protest started at Shalimar Park and ended at the bus stand. Protesters also called for the release of people arrested last month during clashes with police over the ropeway issue.
The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Sangharsh Samiti, which is leading the protest, announced a strike in Katra on December 18. They will decide on further actions later.
Last month, shopkeepers, workers, and pony owners protested for four days after the shrine board decided to go ahead with a Rs 250-crore ropeway project from Tarakote Marg to Sanji Chhat. They worry it will affect their jobs.
Sharma said the project is a bad idea and could hurt religious feelings and people’s livelihoods. He stressed that they are not against the shrine board but oppose the ropeway.
He asked the central government and lieutenant governor to stop the project, saying it would harm the pilgrimage and Katra’s economy. The Samiti had paused their protest after promises from officials but resumed because nothing was done by December 15.
Bhupinder Singh Jamwal, leader of the Vaishno Devi Trek Mazdoor Union, said five Samiti members would go on a hunger strike during the Katra bandh on December 18. They want a written promise from the lieutenant governor or home minister that the ropeway won’t be built.
