Friday, March 29, 2024
ADVT 
India

No Chanting Of Mantras At Amarnath, National Green Tribunal Declares Cave Shrine 'Silence Zone'

Darpan News Desk IANS, 13 Dec, 2017 01:41 PM
    In a bid to preserve the eco-sensitive Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas, the National Green Tribunal on Wednesday declared it a “silence zone” and prohibited religious offerings beyond the entry point.
     
     
    A bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar said the Amarnath Shrine Board should ensure that proper infrastructural facilities are provided to the pilgrims so that they are not deprived of a clear ‘darshan’, and the ecology of the area is maintained.
     
     
    The NGT earlier said declaring the area around the Amarnath cave shrine a "silence zone" would be helpful in preventing avalanches and maintaining its pristine nature.
     
     
    “Nobody would be permitted to carry anything from the stairs leading to the holy cave and everybody should be properly frisked at the entry point. From the point of stairs and the area inside the cave should be declared silence zone," the bench said.
     
     
    The green panel ordered removal of iron grills in front of the ice stalagmite resembling the 'Shiva Linga' so that devotees could get a better view of it and said there should be no noise pollution near the sacred structure.
     
     
    It also restrained carriage of personal belongings, including mobile phones beyond the last checkpoint, and asked the shrine board to construct a place where pilgrims can keep their valuables.
     
     
     
    The green panel also directed the committee of experts headed by an additional secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to submit an action plan on providing facilities to the pilgrims within three weeks.
     
     
    Environment activist Gauri Maulekhi, on whose plea the directions were passed, welcomed the NGT order and termed it “progressive”.
    “The Amarnath cave is located in a delicate ecosystem.
     
     
    The directions would make the Amarnath Yatra safe and convenient for the devotees. This would protect the shrine from degradation and ensure it is protected for the coming generations. It is indeed a very good and progressive direction," Maulekhi told.
    The matter will be heard again on January 18 next year.
     
     
    In November, the NGT rapped the Amarnath Shrine Board for not providing proper infrastructural facilities to pilgrims going to the cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas, saying it could not "deprive people of proper darshan".
     
     
    The green panel took exception to non-compliance with the directions issued by the Supreme Court in 2012 and asked the board what steps it had taken in all these years.
     
     
     
    The bench directed the experts committee to submit report on aspects such providing a proper path and declaring the cave shrine a "silence zone" while maintaining cleanliness in the area.
     
     
    The Amarnath cave shrine is considered to be one of the holiest in Hinduism. The cave itself is covered with snow most of the year except for a short period of time in summer when it is open for pilgrims.

    MORE India ARTICLES

    20 Afghan Soldiers, All Of Them Women, In India For Training

    20 Afghan Soldiers, All Of Them Women, In India For Training
    The Afghan women officers of various ranks are being trained in weaponry, firing, communication, tactics, administration and logistics.In addition, they are being trained to use hand grenades, AK-47s and Assault rifles among others.

    20 Afghan Soldiers, All Of Them Women, In India For Training

    Rahul Gandhi Elected Congress President, PM Modi Wishes Him A 'Fruitful Tenure'

    Rahul Gandhi Elected Congress President, PM Modi Wishes Him A 'Fruitful Tenure'
    Rahul Gandhi was elected the Congress president on Monday, marking a generational shift in the grand old party and becoming the sixth member of the influential Nehru-Gandhi clan to occupy the post.

    Rahul Gandhi Elected Congress President, PM Modi Wishes Him A 'Fruitful Tenure'

    PM Modi Takes Dig At Rahul, Says All GST Issues Resolved

    PM Modi Takes Dig At Rahul, Says All GST Issues Resolved
    Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday ridiculed the Congress for criticising his government over problems caused by the Goods and Services Tax and demonetisation and claimed these issues had been resolved.

    PM Modi Takes Dig At Rahul, Says All GST Issues Resolved

    Manmohan Singh Tells PM Modi To Apologize For 'Falsehood And Canards'

    Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of spreading "falsehood and canards" in a desperate bid to win the Gujarat elections and asked him to "apologize to the nation".

    Manmohan Singh Tells PM Modi To Apologize For 'Falsehood And Canards'

    Indian Working Women As Ambitious As Men: Survey

    Indian Working Women As Ambitious As Men: Survey
    A whopping 87 per cent of Indian working women are seeking advancement in their careers, finds a survey challenging the commonly held view that women are not as ambitious as men.

    Indian Working Women As Ambitious As Men: Survey

    It's The Right Idea But Wrong Location: Vancouver's Latest Tool For Housing The Homeless Getting Rou

    It's The Right Idea But Wrong Location: Vancouver's Latest Tool For Housing The Homeless Getting Rou
    VANCOUVER — Construction has hardly begun at the first of Vancouver's temporary modular housing projects and already pushback is mounting against the city's latest strategy to house its homeless.

    It's The Right Idea But Wrong Location: Vancouver's Latest Tool For Housing The Homeless Getting Rou