Deadline over, Vaishno Devi landslip probe report not out yet

Despite the lapse of two weeks -– the stipulated timeframe for the inquiry into the August 26 landslide incident near Vaishno Devi temple — the administration and the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) are yet to make the probe findings public, irking many organisations.

As many as 34 people were killed in a landslide incident that took place near Inderprastha Bhojanalaya on the old track to the holy shrine.

The shrine board was criticised for not suspending the pilgrimage despite multiple alerts by the Weather Department regarding heavy rain and cloudbursts in the region.

On August 29, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, who is also the chairman of the Shrine Board, constituted an inquiry committee into the Vaishno Devi incident. The committee is headed by Shaleen Kabra, Additional Chief Secretary of the Jal Shakti Department, with Ramesh Kumar, Divisional Commissioner of Jammu, and BS Tuti, Inspector General of Police, as members.

While the committee was supposed to submit the report with the L-G within two weeks, the report has so far not been made public. “The committee shall submit its report within two weeks to the Chairman, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board” the inquiry order had stated.

National Conference (NC) additional general secretary and former minister Ajay Kumar Sadhotra said that the inquiry report should be made public immediately. He also said “any inquiry less than a judicial inquiry is mockery of the lives of the people who died due to the negligence of the officials of the shrine board”.

He said that the board has also not issued any official number of the people who died. “It was from media reports that the number of deceased was confirmed. There is a need to fix the responsibility,” said Sadhotra.

As per the official document, the inquiry committee was supposed to examine in detail the causes behind the incident and point out any lapses, assess responses in the form of rescue and relief measures undertaken and suggest appropriate SOPs and measures for preventing recurrence of such incidents in the future.

Shiv Sena (UBT) J&K chief Manish Sahni said that the board must come out with the details of damage caused by the landslide to the yatra route. “Few days are left for the start of Navratri, the biggest religious festival of Hindus, but there is confusion about the resumption of the pilgrimage. People from across the country wait to visit the holy shrine during the nine-day festivities,” said Sahni.

Yatra resumes today

As per an official communication on Tuesday evening, the shrine board stated that Vaishno Devi Yatra will resume from September 17 subject to favourable weather conditions. “Devotees are requested to stay updated through official communication channels,” the board stated.