Dr. Gagan Bhagat M.L.A from R.S Pura Constituency flagged off three days 12th Annual Mata Vaishno Devi Paidal Yatra from Shiv Nagar main bazaar,R.S Pura to the holy town of Katra Hundreds of devotees Chanting bhajans, carried the Jyot in the form of procession with locals showering flowers petals. Devotees from Ward No. 12, 13, 11 10, Railway Line Gagian, Rangpur ,Basti Ward No.6, Baggamarh and adjoining areas participated in the yatra and will take blessing of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi.While flagging off the pilgrims, Dr.Gagan Bhagat Wishing the yatra to be the harbinger of peace and tranquility said that such pilgrimage help in fostering amity and brotherhood between various segments of the society in true spirit of pluralistic ethos of Jammu and Kashmir.He hoped that the pilgrimage will culminate, after a week with religious fervour.The pilgrimage will trek 78 Kms from Shiv Nagar, R.S Pura on foot and reach the shrine.The President, Convener and members of the organizing committee “Karam Veer Yuva Sanstha” President Capt.(Retd.) Khemanand ,President Praveen Shashtri, Members Rajkumar Sharma, Manoj Kashyap,Inder Sudan, also spoke on the occasion and spelled out the broad contours of the pilgrimage from yatra will bring prosperity and peace in the life of the people of the R.S Pura Constituency. He said these yatras depict the peace and harmony among different sections of the society living in the area and also strengthen the communal harmony. Dr.Gagan congratulated the Karam Veer Yuva Sanstha, Shiv Nagar R.S Pura for organizing annual pilgrimage. The Committee members demanded that there should be adequate facilities for the pilgrims from R.S Pura to the holy shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi Katra so that more and more pilgrims visit the shrine and take blessing of the Mata Vaishno Devi. They also said that the area should also be developed as tourist destination as R.S Pura is an International Border. The Annual 3-days Mata Vaishno Devi Yatra is being conducted in the month of October-November every year from Shiv Nagar,R.S Pura the holy shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi commonly known as Mata Rani is a world famous pilgrim destination in the whole world and more facilities should be provided by Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board so that tourist inflow increases in Jammu and more and more pilgrims visit the holy shrine every year.Dr.Gagan Bhagat also prayed for the peace, Brotherhood and development of the whole state and he said that he is proud to be in this state and in R.S Pura, and he will leave no stone unturned in the way of development , progress and welfare of its citizens he further added that these type of yatras should be conducted from every corner of the constituency so that more and more people could avail the blessings of Mata Vaishno Devi and an environment of religious harmony is flourished among its residents as we have a strong cultural and religious interrelationship. The state is also known for its peculiar culture as in every two hundred kilometers language and culture variations could be felt in every direction of Jammu & Kashmir. Prominent among those who were present included Heart Specialist Dr.Suheel Sharma,VHP State Gen. Secy. Hemraj Khajuria ,S.H.O R.S Pura Bhushan Manhas,B.J.P Mandal Pradhan R.S Pura Natharam,Daljeet Choudhary, Romesh Kumar, Rajesh Babbu, and others.
