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| Twin terror attack on highway likely to dent Navratra festivities at Vaishno Devi shrine | | | K Koushal
Early Times Report
Jammu, Mar 21: The two simultaneous terror attacks at Kathua and Samba yesterday and today that kept the national highway blocked for two consecutive days have made a serious dent to the flow of Mata Vaishno Devi pilgrims. The attacks that came a day before the onset of the religious 'Navrataras' have heavily dropped the turnout of pilgrim visitors who swell in numbers in these days to pay obeisance at the holy shrine. The road and railway are the two important links to Jammu and Katra for Vaishno Devi, the two simultaneous attacks on the national highway besides putting a long hold on the incoming vehicles made many to return back while others were paved for way in the evening hours on both the day. While the highway remained closed for 7 hours yesterday since morning 6 a.m. and reopened around 1.p.m, today it was shut down for 12 hours since morning 6.am. to evening 6.pm. "We heard of the terror attack in Jammu last night, but were not sure as to where it took place. Today as soon as we crossed Lakhanpur around 11 a.m. we came about news of another terrorist attack which sent a terror chill down our spines. We decided to move back, but later remained stuck in overcrowded jam and reached Jammu just now," said Mohan Prakash, a wholesale cloth merchant from Haryana who had come to pay obeisance at Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in starting Navratras. The cab drivers in the city also said that since they had equipped themselves to receive the rush of yatries to ferry them to Katra on the onset of navratras are likely to do little business this season. "The two simultaneous terrorist attacks has sent alarming signals country wide and the pilgrims who come in hordes, particularly on first Navratra are putting up a very thin attendance in the city. Our business is likely to receive the serious dent," said Raju , a cab driver at Bus Stand. The shopkeepers both at Katra and Jammu too are wary of the situation that is likely to hit adversely to their seasonal business on Navratas. "The two consecutive attacks on the national highway are all likely to dampen the spirits of the yatries who take journey by their own vehicles from nearby states like Punjab, Himachal, Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. This Navratra is all likely to be a very low key affair which would have a collateral effect on all aspects of the festivities," said a local shopkeeper Prem Krishan at Raghunath Bazaar, Jammu. |
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