Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday laid the foundation stone for the Tirth Yatri Niwas and Disaster Management Centre of Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board at Majeen, near here.
Speaking on the occasion, the Lt Governor congratulated the devotees of Shri Amarnath Ji; officials of the Shrine Board, and the people of the Jammu region for the ground-breaking ceremony of the Yatri Niwas.
With the foundation of the Yatri Niwas, we have fulfilled a long pending demand of all stakeholders, organizations associated with Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra, devotees from across the country and abroad, said the Lt Governor.
The Lt Governor expressed his desire to develop Yatri Niwas as a symbol of compassion, spirituality, service, peace, and happiness.
Yatri Niwas is not merely a building. It needs to be developed as a centre for the awakening of consciousness, a confluence of ancient philosophy so that the devotees can feel bliss and may begin their further Journey to Shri Amarnath Ji Shrine in South Kashmir with purity and perfection, the Lt Governor said.
The Lt Governor directed the officials of Shri Amarnath Ji Shrine Board to establish a library for showcasing the spiritual and cultural heritage of J&K to the visiting pilgrims.
Work with greater commitment and dedication to provide safe and best-in-class facilities keeping in mind the faith of the devotees and the timeless tradition of Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra, the Lt Governor told the officials.
He said that a Yatri Niwas with a capacity of more than 3200 pilgrims is under construction at Chandrakot in Ramban, and the foundation for another Yatri Niwas with a capacity of about 2800 passengers was laid in the month of August this year in Srinagar. The Yatri Niwas in Jammu will also open up new employment avenues for the local population, especially for the youth, he added.
Elaborating on the work being done to develop tourism in Jammu, the Lt Governor said that a pilgrimage tourism circuit connecting Mata Vaishno Devi, Purmandal- Utterbehni, Mansar-Surinsar, and Shiv Khori together is coming up, besides promoting the unexplored tourism potential of Jammu to attract more tourists.
Durga Bhawan, a high utility pilgrim-centric facility at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine is under construction. Study for the restoration of Shiv Khori is being done and work on it will begin soon.
We are also exploring the feasibility of a ropeway at Shri Amarnathji Shrine, the Lt Governor informed.