Jammu, Aug 29: Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) has refuted allegations of allowing the yatra to proceed in disregard of weather advisories and at the cost of pilgrim safety, saying that the pilgrimage was suspended at noon on August 26 ahead of the cloudburst that triggered a landslide.

However, the Board did not share details about the number of deaths that occurred in the disaster. A landslide triggered by the cloudburst struck the route to the shrine at Adhkuwari in the Trikuta hills of the Katra belt, killing 34 pilgrims and injuring 18 others.

“A few media reports have been circulating since yesterday alleging that yatra was allowed to proceed in complete disregard of weather advisories and at the expense of pilgrim safety. The Board expresses deep sorrow and pain at the unfortunate loss of pilgrims’ lives in the natural disaster on August 26, and places on record the correct factual position to dispel the impression being created by the insinuating media reports. The Board categorically denies the allegations as false and baseless,” the Board said in a statement here on Thursday night.

It said the weather conditions had remained clear and conducive for pilgrimage on the morning of August 26 until around 10 am, during which time the yatra proceeded normally. Even helicopter services were operating seamlessly then.

Asserting that the Board had made elaborate arrangements by positioning its enforcement staff and Disaster Management Task Force along the entire track as per its established standard operating procedure, it said weather updates were closely monitored.

“As soon as the forecast for moderate rains was received, registrations were immediately suspended. The majority of the yatris were moving down the track after completing darshan at the Holy Cave Shrine. Thousands of yatris en route had smoothly completed their pilgrimage back to Katra by then,” it said.

The statement further mentioned that many pilgrims stayed on in the shelter sheds en route at designated halt points on the old track. “These are those points and stretches which have never been susceptible to landslides in the past. These halt points have been specifically created in the safest zones of the track, for pilgrim safety.”

The new track between Katra and Adhkuwari (through Tarakote), which is susceptible to landslides and weather-related disruptions, had already been closed since August 24 in the interest of pilgrim safety, it said.

The old track, which is generally secure and not prone to slides and shooting stones, having stabilised over the last many decades, was kept open for pilgrim movement with a close watch on weather conditions. “Even yatra on this track was suspended by 12 noon on August 26 upon issuance of the specific weather advisory,” the statement said.

It added that the location where this unfortunate disaster happened was near Inderprastha Bhojanalaya on the old track. “This is one of the safest locations on the track. However, nature’s fury struck in the form of a sudden severe cloudburst in this stretch of around 50 metres only, which triggered the massive landslide at 2.40 pm. It was unpredictable and unforeseen from any count. No such event of landslide has ever been recorded in this area in the past. The event was a force majeure,” it said.

The Shrine Board’s Disaster Management Task Force, which was spread along the track, immediately responded in close coordination with District Administration Reasi, J&K Police, CRPF, Army, NDRF, SDRF and volunteers, launching swift evacuation and relief operations.

“Eighteen pilgrims who had sustained injuries were safely evacuated and shifted for super-specialty care at the Shrine Board’s hospital in Kakryal after being given first aid along the track,” it added.

The statement said the stranded pilgrims were safely evacuated to Katra through Tarakote Marg by the evening of August 26. “Simultaneously, debris clearance, slope inspection and stabilisation were undertaken on a war footing,” it added.

The Board reiterated that every reasonable precaution was taken keeping in view weather forecasts. “The unfortunate cloudburst resulting in the loss of precious lives was not humanly foreseeable and was thus beyond anyone’s anticipation or control,” it added.

The Board said it has at all times acted strictly in line with official weather forecasts and advisories, with pilgrim safety and well-being as its foremost priority.

The Shrine Board stands firmly with the bereaved families in this hour of grief and every possible assistance will be provided to the NoKs of the deceased devotees. The injured are being provided with the best possible medical treatment and the Shrine Board prays to Mata Vaishno Devi for their quick recovery.

Jammu, Aug 29: As the water level in all rivers of Jammu division dropped below the danger mark on Friday, relief and rescue operations continued with the Army, Air Force, NDRF, SDRF, J&K Police and other agencies joining hands to mitigate the suffering of thousands of people affected by the unprecedented flood during the past five days.

The Meteorological (MeT) Department has forecast generally cloudy weather with chances of isolated rain/thunder in the Jammu region and generally cloudy weather with a few spells of rain/thunder at isolated places during the next 24 hours. The weather is expected to remain erratic till September 5.

Rescue teams at Ardhkuwari on the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine route, where a landslide occurred on Tuesday, killing 35 pilgrims, continued to comb the area.

Officials said no bodies were recovered on Thursday as the operation was still on.

The pilgrimage to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine will remain suspended for three more days.

All educational institutions in the Jammu division will remain closed till August 30 in order to safeguard the lives of students and the staff at these institutions.

A statement by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) said that a few media reports have been circulating since Wednesday, alleging that the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Yatra was allowed to proceed in complete disregard of weather advisories and at the expense of pilgrim safety.

“SMVDSB expresses deep sorrow and pain at the unfortunate loss of lives of pilgrims in the natural disaster on August 26 and places on record the correct factual position to dispel the impression being created by the insinuating media reports. The Board categorically denies the allegations as false and baseless. The weather conditions had remained clear and conducive for pilgrimage on August 26 morning until around 10 a.m., during which time the yatra proceeded normally, so much so that even the helicopter services were operating seamlessly during that time,” said the board.

“In fact, the Board had made elaborate arrangements of positioning its enforcement staff and Disaster Management Task Force along the entire track as per its established standard operating procedure. The Board monitored weather updates closely, and as soon as the forecast for moderate rains was received, registrations were immediately suspended. Majority of the yatris were moving down the track after completing darshan at the Holy Cave Shrine. Thousands of yatris en route had smoothly completed their pilgrimage back to Katra by then. Many pilgrims, however, stayed on in the shelter sheds en route at designated halt points on the old track. These are those points/ stretches which have never been susceptible to landslides in the past. These halt points have been specifically created in the safest zones of the track, for pilgrim safety,” the statement said.

Jammu-Srinagar highway remained closed on Friday for the 4th consecutive day due to multiple landslides between Jakheni and Chenani in Udhampur.

Officials said over 500 to 600 vehicles were stranded en route. Kishtwar-Sinthan-Anantnag highway also remained closed, while only light motor vehicles (LMVs) are being allowed on the Mughal Road between Shopian in the Valley and Poonch in the Jammu division.

Due to fresh snowfall, Srinagar-Leh, Srinagar-Gurez roads are also closed.

Rail traffic in Jammu Division remained completely suspended for the third consecutive day on Thursday and will continue to remain affected on Friday as the Northern Railway authorities have announced the cancellation of 40 scheduled trains to and from Jammu.

Except for two special trains, which were run for stranded passengers here, there was no arrival as well as departure of any train at Jammu Railway Station on Thursday.

According to an official spokesperson of Northern Railway, there is a complete suspension of rail traffic on Kathua-Madhopur Punjab Downline due to misalignment on Bridge number 17 following flash floods and soil erosion.

Railway officials said there are breaches at multiple locations in the Jammu division, and in view of the prevailing situation, rail traffic is likely to remain paralysed for the next few days.

Due to traffic suspension, Northern Railway also announced the short termination/origination of 12 other trains. The cancelled trains include 24 Up trains (which were scheduled to arrive here from different stations across India) and 16 Down trains (which were scheduled to depart from Jammu, Katra and Udhampur Stations).

Meanwhile, the Jammu Division of Northern Railway, keeping this situation in mind, has been taking all necessary steps to ensure the safety of passengers and restore rail service as early as possible.

The communication network across the union territory remained affected. Telecom companies have failed to restore services completely, leaving several areas in Jammu, Kathua, Samba, Udhampur, Reasi, Ramban and Doda without connectivity.

Bani Sub-Division in Kathua district has had no phone services for three days, while even parts of Jammu city outskirts are facing mobile network disruption.

Power supply remained severely affected as well. Several villages and towns across the union territory have been facing a blackout for three days. Even in Old Jammu City, localities such as Panjtirthi, Jain Bazaar and adjoining areas were without electricity for the third consecutive day on Thursday due to damage to infrastructure.

Water level in the Jhelum River has receded, and schools, colleges and universities have been opened on Friday after remaining closed for two days in Kashmir.

Jammu, Aug 29: Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) has refuted allegations of allowing the yatra to proceed in disregard of weather advisories and at the cost of pilgrim safety, saying that the pilgrimage was suspended at noon on August 26 ahead of the cloudburst that triggered a landslide.

However, the Board did not share details about the number of deaths that occurred in the disaster. A landslide triggered by the cloudburst struck the route to the shrine at Adhkuwari in the Trikuta hills of the Katra belt, killing 34 pilgrims and injuring 18 others.

“A few media reports have been circulating since yesterday alleging that yatra was allowed to proceed in complete disregard of weather advisories and at the expense of pilgrim safety. The Board expresses deep sorrow and pain at the unfortunate loss of pilgrims’ lives in the natural disaster on August 26, and places on record the correct factual position to dispel the impression being created by the insinuating media reports. The Board categorically denies the allegations as false and baseless,” the Board said in a statement here on Thursday night.

It said the weather conditions had remained clear and conducive for pilgrimage on the morning of August 26 until around 10 am, during which time the yatra proceeded normally. Even helicopter services were operating seamlessly then.

Asserting that the Board had made elaborate arrangements by positioning its enforcement staff and Disaster Management Task Force along the entire track as per its established standard operating procedure, it said weather updates were closely monitored.

“As soon as the forecast for moderate rains was received, registrations were immediately suspended. The majority of the yatris were moving down the track after completing darshan at the Holy Cave Shrine. Thousands of yatris en route had smoothly completed their pilgrimage back to Katra by then,” it said.

The statement further mentioned that many pilgrims stayed on in the shelter sheds en route at designated halt points on the old track. “These are those points and stretches which have never been susceptible to landslides in the past. These halt points have been specifically created in the safest zones of the track, for pilgrim safety.”

The new track between Katra and Adhkuwari (through Tarakote), which is susceptible to landslides and weather-related disruptions, had already been closed since August 24 in the interest of pilgrim safety, it said.

The old track, which is generally secure and not prone to slides and shooting stones, having stabilised over the last many decades, was kept open for pilgrim movement with a close watch on weather conditions. “Even yatra on this track was suspended by 12 noon on August 26 upon issuance of the specific weather advisory,” the statement said.

It added that the location where this unfortunate disaster happened was near Inderprastha Bhojanalaya on the old track. “This is one of the safest locations on the track. However, nature’s fury struck in the form of a sudden severe cloudburst in this stretch of around 50 metres only, which triggered the massive landslide at 2.40 pm. It was unpredictable and unforeseen from any count. No such event of landslide has ever been recorded in this area in the past. The event was a force majeure,” it said.

The Shrine Board’s Disaster Management Task Force, which was spread along the track, immediately responded in close coordination with District Administration Reasi, J&K Police, CRPF, Army, NDRF, SDRF and volunteers, launching swift evacuation and relief operations.

“Eighteen pilgrims who had sustained injuries were safely evacuated and shifted for super-specialty care at the Shrine Board’s hospital in Kakryal after being given first aid along the track,” it added.

The statement said the stranded pilgrims were safely evacuated to Katra through Tarakote Marg by the evening of August 26. “Simultaneously, debris clearance, slope inspection and stabilisation were undertaken on a war footing,” it added.

The Board reiterated that every reasonable precaution was taken keeping in view weather forecasts. “The unfortunate cloudburst resulting in the loss of precious lives was not humanly foreseeable and was thus beyond anyone’s anticipation or control,” it added.

The Board said it has at all times acted strictly in line with official weather forecasts and advisories, with pilgrim safety and well-being as its foremost priority.

The Shrine Board stands firmly with the bereaved families in this hour of grief and every possible assistance will be provided to the NoKs of the deceased devotees. The injured are being provided with the best possible medical treatment and the Shrine Board prays to Mata Vaishno Devi for their quick recovery.