Dy CM Surinder Choudhary blames LG, shrine board CEO for Vaishno Devi tragedy
Dy CM Surinder Choudhary blames LG, shrine board CEO for Vaishno Devi tragedy
M.U.H
29/08/202535
A day after chief minister Omar Abdullah raised questions on allowing Vaishno Devi pilgrims on the hilly trek amid severe weather warnings, deputy chief minister Surinder Choudhary on Thursday blamed lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha and the chief executive officer of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine board for the death of 34 pilgrims.
He said that the pilgrims didn’t die in the landslide but were “killed under a criminal conspiracy”.
Fielding media queries after visiting the damaged fourth bridge over the Tawi river in Bhagwati Nagar area, Choudhary said, “LG Manoj Sinha is the chairman of the shrine board. When there were severe weather alerts then it was the duty of the CEO to suspend the yatra but they didn’t do it”.
Choudhary said, “The LG himself says that police, IAS and IPS are in his hands then this yatra was also in his hands”.
Choudhary squarely blamed LG Sinha for allowing the yatra despite a weather advisory warning of incessant rains and cloudbursts in the region.
He urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah to set up a high-level committee to probe the “negligence”.
“The LG owes explanation on the Mata Vaishno Devi Yatra incident. Earlier, a stampede had also occurred. When there was a weather alert for a week for cloudbursts and heavy rainfall, why was the yatra not stopped? Machail Yatra in Kishtwar was allowed to continue,” he said.
Choudhary demanded stern action against officials responsible for allowing the yatra and a thorough investigation.
“Thirty-five lives have been lost. It’s not a joke. The LG was in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, while Jammu and Kashmir was marooned and faced destruction. He should have stopped the Vaishno Devi Yatra, but he did not. Thirty-five devotees who had come did not die in the landslide, they were killed. I urge PM Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah to form a committee into the matter and find out the roles of the LG and other officials. A strict action should be taken and an FIR should also be registered,” he said.
He also accused Sinha of meddling into the affairs of the elected government headed by chief minister Omar Abdullah.
“He doesn’t allow the J&K government to run properly and keeps interfering in every small matter. If he wants a debate, let’s have it and we will tell him face to face how he interferes and stops files and officers (from doing their duties),” he said.
“Enough is enough. We have now run out of patience. Today, I can say without any doubt that the J&K government has no authority (to take decisions), nothing is in our hands and nothing is in the hands of the chief minister,” he said.
Choudhary said, “A government which doesn’t have law and order with it and has no control over transfers of IAS and IPS cadre officers is nothing. What sort of government is it and which democracy is this?”
HT’s calls to the LG’s office and the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine board CEO did not elicit any response.
Omar has announced ₹6 lakh ex gratia for the next of kin and LG Sinha has announced ₹9 lakh as compensation.
