As lockdown stretches, Shrine Board faces financial crunch

Arteev Sharma

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Tribune News Service

Jammu, May 20

The continuous closure of Vaishno Devi pilgrimage have put Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) into a financial crunch with the board suffering a loss of Rs 65-Rs70 crore since the shrine was closed for pilgrims on March 18.

Though the authorities at the helm of affairs remained tight-lipped over the growing financial losses, yet sources admitted that the Shrine Board had been facing financial crisis.

Sources said in 2019, the total cash offerings were around Rs 150 crore. Besides, the Board generates good revenue through bidding of its shops and other establishments at Bhawan and en route.

“The cave shrine gets an average donation of around Rs 45 lakh every day, irrespective of high or low numbers of pilgrims coming to the shrine. There is no specific reason for it. We have suffered a loss of nearly Rs 30 crore-Rs 35 crore alone in terms of offerings since the first week of March,” the sources said.

“The total workforce of the Shrine Board is over 2,800, including 80 priests and 700 safai karamcharis. Apart from expending on infrastructural development, the Shrine Board spends on payment of monthly wages of its employees and annual funding to SMVDU and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Narayana Superspecialty Hospital, Kakryal,” the sources said.

The sources, however, said it was yet not clear whether the situation would impact the financial position of Shrine Board and its institutions.

“The board has been facing a cash crunch because it runs on donations and has no other source of income. It is yet not clear as what were the total assets available with the Shrine Board at the time of closure of pilgrimage in March,” the sources said.