A delegation of Hotel & Restaurant Association, Katra (HRAK) and Jammu Region PHD Chamber of Commerce & Industry (PHDCCI) led by Rakesh Wazir President (HRAK) & Chairman (PHDCCI) and HRAK Chairman Shyam Lal Kesar and accompanied by PHDCCI Distt.President Virender Kesar, HRAK Vice Presidents Ashwani Sharma (Pulli ji), Sumit Khajuria, Vivek Sharma, Secretary Sudershan Sharma ,Press Club Katra President Rakesh Sharma,Gen.Sec. Arun Kumar,& Executive members Amit Kumar,Rohit Padha,Sanjay Kumar (all members HRAK as well) etc. called on the new Chief Executive Officer Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board Mr.Ramesh Kumar and besides complimenting him for assuming this new assignment emphasized him that for the better management of the Yatra and for providing best services to the pilgrims and thereby increasing the Yatra of Vaishnodevi ji a series of steps including stopping of practice of standing of each & every member of the family in the que for Yatra slip be stopped because other alternative steps could too serve the purpose without inconvenience to the pilgrims.
Mr.Wazir while speaking on the occasion said that the piligrims of the this age, want to have good facilities and the better management of the institutions and suggested series of steps including proper cleaning of Vaishnodevi tracks on 24 hour basis with hi tec machines, ,reservation of 25% of seats for senior citizen,handicapped and cancer patients in Helicopter tickets,Kar Sewa on the pattern of Darbar Sahib,self washing of foot points before entering cave,starting of light and sound at Katra,Ropeway from Katra to Shanker Acharya and early completion of Shanker Acharya temple,revival of old traditional route of Vaishnodevi ji through Deva Mai,Providing of space for Amusement park which will be developed by J&K Bank,liberal film shootings policy for films ,TV serials etc. though may be in lean season, providng of good quality photographs from the web site of Shrine Board,publicity through festivals like Navratra Festival in a big way etc.,making of beautiful Ghat at Banganga,publicising and developing places of pilgrim intrest around Katra like Shiv Khori,Nau Devian,Dhansar etc.,advance health care facility at Bhawan,Sanji Shatt and Katra, proper waiting number for helicopter tickets on the pattern of IRCTC tickets.
Mr.Wazir further said that when Katra had been declared to be an iconic city its planning and spending of money should also be done in such a way that it could become an iconic place in reality as well.
Mr.Kesar while speaking on the occasion said that it is very important that we should keep on up grading ourselves regularly while giving example he said that once the famous and only religious pilgrimage places of India like Char Dhams etc. became stagnant in the increase in Yatra and instead lesser known pilgrimage places within past 40-50 years in comparison to Char Dhams like Vaishnodevi ji,Tirupati,Shridi Sai Baba ji, Shani Shignapur,Shiv Khori etc. increased by many folds only because the management, facilities, positive publicity policy in addition to faith was very good overthere. But recent stagnant or downward trend in our Vaishnodevi yatra which was 104.95 lakh in 2012 is decreased and was 78.03 lakh in 2014 and is almost stagnant on 80-85 lac which is very alarming because if the Yatra was 104.95 lakh in 2012 it should have reached to 135 lakh by now if the same increase would have been there which was witnessed in years prior to that. He said that all out efforts are required to be made to increase the facilities, infrastructure and our concrete long term strategy is also required to be formulated in this regard.
Mr.Ramesh Kumar listened the delegation patiently and assured that sympathetic consideration would given to each and every point refered in the discussion and all out efforts would be made for the best facilities to the Yatries.