JAMMU: The Shrine Board has two major Transit accommodation complexes at Jammu-Vaishnavi Dham and Saraswati Dham- which together have a total of 1050 beds, of which 1020 are dormitory beds and the remainder 30 are single room beds. Three years ago, Governor, N. N Vohra, who is Chairman of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, had directed the Chief Executive Officer to initiate time bound action for the augmentation of transit accommodation for pilgrims at various important halting places particularly Jammu, Katra, Adhkuari and Bhawan.
The Governor on Sunday inaugurated a new complex Kalika Dham which is located at Railhead Complex, Jammu. The commissioning of Kalika Dham has led to the emergence of a troika of prestigious accommodation complexes of the Shrine Board in Jammu – Vaishnavi Dham, Kalika Dham and Saraswati Dham.
Kalika Dham is a 5-storey building, with a basement, which has been constructed on a plot of land which lies between Vaishnavi Dham and Saraswati Dham. The project has been implemented by the Shrine Board’s Engineering Wing within a record time of 21months at a cost of Rs. 14.80 crore. With a built up area of 6765 square metres, the total land area under Kalika Dham is 5 kanal, of which 3 kanal is the covered area. It has a bed capacity of 340, including 240 dormitory beds and 50 double bed rooms. With the commissioning of this complex the Shrine Board now provides a total of 1360 beds in Jammu.
The Governor complimented H.L Maini, Member and Technical Consultant, SMVDSB for the sustained personal interest taken by him which enabled the completion of this important project within a very tight time frame. Accompanied by Dr. Sudhir Bloeria, Member, SMVDSB, Maini, Rakesh K. Gupta, Pr. Secretary to the Governor, Dr. Mandeep K. Bhandari, Chief Executive Officer, SMVDSB, and other officers of the Shrine Board, the Governor went around the building and inspected rooms and dormitories, Bhojanalaya and other facilities put in place for the pilgrims. He emphasised the need for strict day to day cleanliness and proper upkeep of this new facility.
Giving further details about the salient features of the project, Dr. Bhandari, CEO, said that Kalika Dham building comprises 11 dormitories, two of which are on the ground floor and three 3 each on the first, second and third floors. There are 50 double bedded rooms with attached bathrooms, 10 on each of the 5 floors. The basement has parking facility for 20 vehicles, in addition to the open parking for another 20 cars on the ground floor.
Dr. Bhandari stated that the building, equipped with modern facilities, has a kitchen and a dining hall for 80 persons and two elevators each of which has a carrying capacity for 10 persons each. The fourth floor has a 50 seater Conference Hall, and an office. The complex has a fire fighting system and a fire alarm. The building shall also have Solar Water Heating System of 21000 litre per day capacity. He informed that the building also has all other required infrastructure in place, which includes a ramp, elevators and dedicated toilets, specifically for the convenience of physically challenged persons.
Prominent among those present on the occasion included Dy. CEO, Pankaj Sharma, Dy. CEO, Pankaj Gupta, Dy. CEO, Neeraj Gupta, Chief Accounts Officer, Devender Singh Bhau, Dy. CEO, Anil Sharma, Dy. CEO, Rajinder Singh, Officer on Special Duty (Revenue), Ashok Kumar, Director Sports, Subhash Gupta, Superintending Engineer and Executive Engineer, Shrine Board.
