Katra/Jammu: Katra -- the base camp for pilgrims visiting the Mata Vaishno Devi temple in Jammu and Kashmir -- resumed normal business activity on Wednesday after a week-long shutdown protesting a proposed ropeway project in the Trikuta hills of Reasi district.
Eighteen people detained by police during the protests were also released, sparking overnight celebrations in the holy town.
“All shops, restaurants, and business establishments reopened after a week-long closure due to the shutdown, while traffic movement was also restored, bringing much relief to the pilgrims,” an official said.
With the return of normalcy, hundreds of pilgrims thronged the holy town on the first day of the year to pay obeisance at the cave shrine, with long serpentine queues seen at the entry points in Katra and Bhawan. “We are very happy that the bandh has ended. It was causing huge inconvenience to us. We have come here to pay obeisance on the first day of the new year,” Suresh Kadam, a resident of Pune, said.
The ‘bandh’, which began on December 25, disrupted normal life in one of the country’s busiest pilgrimage towns which draws thousands of devotees daily.
The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Sangharsh Samiti, which called for the shutdown, had announced that all activities in Katra would remain suspended during this period.
On Tuesday night, the J&K administration announced the release of the detainees and constituted a committee to hold talks with the protesting civil society members.