The National Green Tribunal capped the number of devotees allowed to visit Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir to 50,000 a day.
Any more people who are found to be proceeding toward the shrine will be stopped at either Ardhkumari or at Katra. New constructions taking place inside the shrine’s complex were also stayed.
On a regular day, the number of pilgrims ranges from 25,000 to 30,000 and on the days of festivals, it can reach up to around 40,000.
Earlier this year, over one lakh pilgrims visited the famous shrine of Vaishno Devi during the first three days of nine-day Navratra festival in the Katra town of Reasi district.
The cap comes after the increasing stress on the shrine and its resources. After large amounts of untreated solid and liquid waste of humans and animals was directly released into the Banganga river last year, the NGT had asked the CEO of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board to provide details of the municipal solid waste (MSW) and sewage treatment plants (STPs) installed there as well as remedial measures taken, as NDTV reported.
(With inputs from ANI.)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)