Bandh against ropeway project extended by 72 hours in Jammu & Kashmir’s Katra

Katra/Jammu: The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Sangharsh Samiti on Friday night extended the bandh by 72 hours to press for the fulfilment of their demands, including shelving the proposed ropeway project and releasing detained protesters in Katra, the base camp of the Mata Vaishno Devi temple.

Katra observed a complete shutdown for the third consecutive day on Friday in protest against the proposed ropeway project in the Trikuta hills of Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district.

Several women and children joined the dharna as youths continued their hunger strike for the third day, demanding the release of several individuals detained by police during earlier demonstrations in the holy town.

"It was decided by the samiti to extend the bandh by 72 hours. They are demanding that the ropeway project in Trikuta hills be scrapped and the detained persons released immediately," former minister Jugal Kishore Sharma told reporters.

He added, "All parties, whether political or part of the samiti, are on the same page in this agitation. Representatives from different parties are present here. Everyone is united in their fight against the ropeway project."

Sharma reiterated that the agitation would be further strengthened in the coming days.

The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Sangharsh Samiti, which called for the shutdown on Wednesday, announced that all activities in Katra would remain suspended during the bandh.

With black flags installed across the town, shops, restaurants, and other business establishments remained closed for the third day, and vehicular movement came to a standstill.

The 72-hour-long bandh, which began on Wednesday, has disrupted normal life in one of India’s busiest pilgrimage hubs, visited daily by thousands of devotees seeking blessings at the cave shrine.