Planning Vaishno Devi Yatra? Advance Booking A Must As Devotee Numbers Soar

Katra: If you are preparing to go to Katra for the darshan of Mata Vaishno Devi in the coming days, then definitely make online booking before leaving home. These days, due to summer holidays, the number of devotees attending Vaishno Devi Yatra is continuously increasing. The situation is such that advance booking of facilities like travel slip, accommodation in the building, helicopter service, battery car and ropeway is being filled rapidly. In view of the increasing crowd, many times the registration centers have to be closed before the scheduled time.

Is the impact of holidays clearly visible on travel?

After the commencement of holidays in schools and colleges, a large number of devotees from different parts of the country are reaching Katra. Long queues of devotees are being seen everywhere in Katra, Yatra Marg and Bhawan area. According to Shrine Board officials, more than three lakh devotees have attended the Mata's court in the last one week. Between 43 thousand to 50 thousand passengers are reaching Katra every day, due to which the pressure on the systems has increased.

Are registration centers being closed prematurely?

In view of the increasing number of devotees, Yatra Registration Centers sometimes have to be closed before the scheduled time. Recently, one day the center which was supposed to be open till 10 pm had to be closed two hours earlier. Even on Sunday, registration had to be stopped at around 6:45 pm. Officials say that under the guidelines of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), only a limited number of passengers can be sent forward every day. For this reason, this step is being taken for crowd control.

Is booking of online services also going on full-time?

The effect of increasing crowd in travel is also visible on online facilities. Most of the online bookings for helicopter service, battery car, passenger cable car running from Bhavan to Bhairav Valley and accommodation at Bhavan are already filled. Devotees are being advised to check the availability before planning the journey so that they do not face any problem after reaching Katra.

Are alternative arrangements also available?

The Shrine Board has informed that the devotees who have online Yatra Slip can obtain RFID cards from the registration centers located on Darshani Deodhi and Tarakot Marg in case there is a crowd at the main registration centers. Apart from this, special facilities are also being provided for the elderly, disabled and seriously ill devotees.

Is preparation necessary before travelling?

The Shrine Board is advising the devotees to ensure online booking of travel slip, accommodation and other necessary services in advance. Due to increasing crowds in the Katra and Bhawan area, there may be a long wait for security checks and darshan. In such a situation, devotees who plan their journey in advance will get more facilities.