J&K LG pays obeisance at Vaishno Devi shrine

Jammu, Apr 3 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha paid obeisance at the Vaishno Devi shrine atop the Trikuta hills in Reasi district on Sunday, an official spokesperson said.

Sinha prayed for the peace, progress, prosperity and well-being of the people of the Union Territory on the auspicious occasion of Navratri, the spokesperson added.

Later, the LG released a "bhajan" sung by Sonu Nigam and a web series on Mata Vaishno Devi at the SMVD spiritual growth centre in Katra, the base camp for the pilgrims visiting the shrine.

Speaking on the occasion, Sinha talked about the great strides Jammu and Kashmir is making in various sectors and said the upcoming Katra-Amritsar-Delhi Expressway will make the journey towards Katra more convenient for the pilgrims.

"In the last year and a half, Jammu and Kashmir has set new records in infrastructure development across every sector. Around Rs 1 lakh crore are being spent to transform the infrastructure in the Union Territory," he said, adding that around 80 lakh tourists have visited the Union Territory in the last 180 days.

The LG also released the biography of entrepreneur J C Chaudhry, who facilitated the making of the bhajan and the web series on Vaishno Devi.

Meanwhile, senior BJP leader Devender Singh Rana called for the revival of the ancient route to the Vaishno Devi shrine.

The former legislator carried the holy "jyot" from the historic Kol Kandoli temple in a van decorated with flowers. He was joined by hundreds of devotees.