13th September,R.S Pura: Dr.Gagan Bhagat M.L.A from R.S Pura Constituency flagged off Week long 20th Annual Mata Vaishno Devi Paidal Yatra from Miran Sahib main bazaar 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 Tutrey, Prem Nagar, Shiv Nagar,Darsopur, Ban Sultan, Miran Sahib, Malikpur Nandpur,Maralia, Brijnagar,Indiranagar, and other adjoining areas would participate in the yatra and take blessing of the 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 70 Kms from Miran Sahib, R.S Pura on foot and reach the shrine.The President, Convener and members of the organizing committee Ramesh Choudhary, Devraj Bhagat, Kuldeep Kumar, Raman Choudhary 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 Mata Vaishno Devi Mandir Committee Miran Sahib 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 7-day Mata Vaishno Devi Yatra is being conducted in the month of September -October every year from Miran Sahib, 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 S.H.O Miran Sahib Pawan Kumar,Naib Tehsildar Balak Ram ,B.J.P Mandal Pradhan Miran Sahib Devender Sharma, B.J.Y.M Pradhan Hardev Singh, Romesh Kumar, Bishan Dass, Rajesh Babbu, Pankaj Sharma ,Manmohan Choudhary and others.
