Online ticketing service for Vaishnodevi Yatra delayed

Jammu, Apr 30 (UNI) The much awaited online 'Yatra Slip' service for making the Vaishnodevi pilgrimage more convenient has been delayed due to some technical snags, a top administrative officer today said.

The online yatra ticketing service -- slated to be launched tomorrow (May 1) -- has been delayed because of some technical reasons, which are being rectified, Shri Mata Vaishnodevi Shrine Board's Additional CEO Puneet Kumar told UNI.

''We are hopeful of starting online service shortly'' he, however, said.

The Additional CEO said that the number of pilgrims visiting the holy shrine was increasing days by day.

Mr Kumar said the Board was putting all out efforts to facilitate pilgrims, whose number increases during the month of June and July -- the period of summer vacations in schools.

Yatris have to register themselves at the base camp of Katra before ascending to the shrine. ''When the number of Yatris increases, they have to wait for long standing in the queue for registration, which stops at 2300 hrs everyday'' he said.

With the launch of online service, pilgrims at any corner of the world would be able to get the printouts of their 'Yatra Slips' from the Board's web site and start scaling Trikuta hills without waiting any longer at Katra town, he said, asserting the technical problems might get rectified within a week or two.

These days the temperature at the Bhawan -- at about 6200 ft above sea level -- is being recorded between 15 to 30 degrees Celsius while at 6615-ft-high Bharion Ghati, it is being measured between 12 to 25 degrees.

Mr Kumar said 1,012,055 pilgrims had visited the famous Mata Vaishnodevi shrine during the the frist three months of 2007.

Last year nealy 70 lakh yatris had paid their obeisance at the cave shirne of the Deity.

Tourism industry plays the most important role in the economy of Jammu and Kashmir, which, besides its beautiful hill resorts, has many places of religious importance that attracts lakhs of pilgrims every year.

UNI