Bipin Kumar
It is Amarnath Ji Yatra time again and time to pack-up for arduous but spiritually satisfying journey to Baba’s abode. Devotees from all over India throng this Cave Shrine; for some it is an annual routine while for most it is to fulfil a lifetime wish. But for all of them establishment of Amarnathji Shrine Board has been a great facilitator for a smooth pilgrimage. Those who have undertaken Yatra before and after establishment of the Shrine Board can well appreciate immense improvement in the facilities available now.
Notwithstanding the restricted period of the Yatra and extreme weather and uncertain security conditions in the Valley, Shrine Board has done exceedingly well to provide hassle free Yatra facilities to the pilgrims. From offering affordable accommodation at various staging camps to various modes of transportation to cover the arduous trek to the Holy cave speaks volumes about the dedication of the Shrine Board staff involved in conduct of this Yatra. Advisories, both administrative and medical, are issued in advance by the Board for benefit of prospective pilgrims. Availability of modern medical facilities on routes to the Holy cave have helped bring down causalities.
Whenever Board conceives a proposal to create environment friendly semi-permanent structures in and around the Cave Shrine, environmental concerns are raised by vested interests in the Valley, from both within the civil society of Kashmir and outside of it. This is done to subvert streamlining of the Yatra facilities further and cutting down of recurring expenditure to dismantle and to recreate such facilities year after year. Same people have no compunction when picturesque Sonamarg is converted into a concrete jungle with construction of scores of hotels thus robbing this beautiful spot of its natural beauty.
There is a serious dichotomy here. On the one hand, this subversion is because of a particular mindset of those who raise this hue and cry, on the other, they seek economic benefits accruing from this Yatra.
Improvement processes and upgradation of facilities is an ongoing process. While one understands the extraneous impediments faced by the Shrine Board in its efforts to provide more and more facilities to the pilgrim, nothing stops the Board from instituting some internal corrections that have no bearing on the external environment. A few measures are suggested here.
Help-Desks: The Board has provided telephone numbers to seek help and clarifications to prepare better for the pilgrimage. While one should be lucky to evoke a response only to be put off by inadequate information or indifferent attitude of the staff. That is the way any government or quasi-governmental staff behaves. This attitude shall take a lot of time to change. In the interim, the Board should outsource telephonic pilgrim-care to some private professional organisation. Their mandate should include providing information, besides list of does and don’ts, about tariffs and updated availability of various facilities for booking. Shrine Board website is no substitute to this personal touch especially for the large majority who undertake Yatra are not tech savvy. Such a measure would add professionalism and friendliness to the services being offred by the Board. Further, any assistance on voluntary basis is welcome, be it Langers or in any other form, but the control for their deployment should be retained by the Shrine Board for optimum utility. Leaving such services totally to the volunteers often leads to chaos. Board needs to establish its controlling elements at all the staging camps to double up as help-desks.
Reduce Quotas: Bane of any governmental/quasi-governmental control is setting aside of quotas, be it the accommodation at base camps or of tickets for helicopter service. These services are, as a principal, meant for the elderly, women, travelling alone or in groups, or for the less privileged. Though quotas are earmarked for these categories yet those are hardly made available to them. Lion’s share is distributed amongst the political heavy-weights, religious groups, and the police personnel- who wield their authority be it those who are on duty at base camps or the highest in the hierarchy. There is a crying need to reduce these quotas to make these facilities available to the general public.
Helicopter Service: Helicopter service is a boon for the pilgrims. But commercial running of this service needs to be streamlined. One is surprised why the Shrine Board is turning a blind eye to it? There is a limited availability of helicopter tickets compared to a huge demand – an imbalance that breeds profiteering. Ideally, sale of helicopter tickets should be controlled by the Shrine Board as is done in case of Mata Vaishno Devi service.
For right or wrong reasons, intent seems to involve locals in the Yatra by liking their economic interests to smooth conduct of this pilgrimage. Helicopter operators have the freedom to allot ticketing agencies to anyone they like. Against the very ethics of running such a business, operators offer ticketing agencies to hoteliers who in turn offer huge discounts to former, either in form of cash back or free accommodation to their staff. It is estimated that each operator saves anything between Rs.25 to 30 lakh this way. It is not difficult to understand how these hoteliers make good such huge pay-outs – obviously by compelling the Yatris to stay in their hotels at exorbitant tariffs and by charging heavy premium on helicopter tickets.
Further, remaining ticketing agencies are also allotted to those who pay huge sums to the operators, whether in cash or in kind. Such agencies have formed strong cartels to share the loot and to bar entry of small travel agents into this business. If the intent of Shrine Board is to pass on the economic benefits accruing out of Yatra to all those whose livelihood depends on tourism, pleasure or religious, why this indifference towards small and marginal travel agents. As per one of the operators, each ticketing agent earns about Rs, 2 Lakh per day by charging a heavy premium. Scrutiny of agencies allotted thus far shall reveal that a common thread runs through all of them as most have benefitted by registering additional travel agencies in name of their family members or their acquaintances to garner the whole loot.
Contrary to the instructions, quota for on spot booking is deliberately kept to bare minimum. Most of tickets earmarked for counter sale are sold in black by the counter staff themselves. Overall, it is an unethical practice in the name of religious tourism and everyone takes his share of the pie.
It would be naïve to believe that the Shrine Board is ignorant about this loot for some of these travel agents are their blue eyed and often share stage with the officials of the Board. Shrine Board has to intervene to stop this loot of unsuspecting Yatris. It should either be fair to all travel agents or stop outsourcing ticketing of helicopter service to travel agents altogether.
Shrine Board has been created to ensure smooth conduct of Amarnath Ji Yatra.It has been doing its job well. If measures suggested above are implemented this Yatra would turn out to be both enjoyable and spiritually
satisfying.