17-10-2020

The services had been kept suspended even after the temple's doors were opened for the devotees in August after being shut for more than five months due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

In a development that could cheer up devotees of Vaishno Mata temple, almost all services and facilities ranging from Pony ride to Pithu, Palanquin to Helicopter services have been restored at the famous Himalayan shrine, reported. The services had been kept suspended even after the temple�s doors were opened for the devotees in August after being shut for more than five months due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

In a statement, the CEO of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, Ramesh Kumar told that Pony, Pithu and Palanquin (Palki) services which are used by children and elderly to complete the trek to the temple have been resumed. Helicopter and battery car services have also been made operational at the shrine, the statement added.

In line with the earlier travel guidelines issued by the Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, devotees coming from outside the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir will have to produce a Covid-19 negative test report to enter the temple premises. However, in a welcome relief for devotees who are encountering problems in getting themselves tested for Covid-19, the temple management has operationalised its own Covid-19 testing facility at the shrine where the devotees can conveniently get tested.

In view of the increasing Coronavirus cases across the country, the temple has set a maximum number of devotees who can visit the shrine in a day. Starting from about 2,000 devotees a day when the temple was reopened on August 15, the daily number has been increased to about 7,000 at present. In the wake of the impending Navratri days starting from Saturday, the temple management is expected to get more travel requests from the devotees.