About 5000 yatris provided food and shelter by locals in Srinagar

Srinagar, Jun 28 (UNI) In a true Kashmiri tradition, about 5000 yatris and tourists were provided food and shelter by the local muslims in the city, particularly in the Dal Lake area.

Official sources said local mohalla committee at Gagribal and Boulvard on the bank of the Dal Lake arranged dinner since last evening for the yatris, stranded here for the past two days.

A spokesman of the committee told UNI that about 5000 Amarnath yatris and tourists, staying in hotels and in open parks in the area were without food for the past one day because all the hotels and other restaurants were closed due to the strike against the transfer of land to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) by the government.

He said immediately the committee arranged food and other eatables for the yatris and tourists.

We have provided food to 3500 yatris in a park while 1500 others were given the food packets in their hotels and other guest houses, he said.

He said chairman of the breakaway Hurriyat Conference (HC) Syed Ali Shah Geelani had also appealed to the people to provide food and shelter to the yatris and tourists since people of the Kashmir were not against the pilgrimage or yatris.

He said a number of yatris were provided free accommodation in the area.

We would continue such measures till the situation become normal, he said.

He further said about 3500 yatris and tourists left for Jammu in their own vehicles this morning.

Reports of similar camps being set up by the locals residents were also received from other parts of the city.

They said yatris and tourists are our guests and we have no enemity with them. Our fight is against the state government and shrine board, they said.

UNI BAS ASM GT RK1405