Geelani Wants ‘Amarnath Nagar’ Halted, Warns Post-Eid Stir

“JK Govt Has Succumbed, Hides Truth About Yatra Road”

Srinagar – The chairman of the Hurriyat (G) on Thursday warned to launch an agitation after Eid-ul-Azha if the Shrine Board did not halt what he described as stocking construction material and building an “Amarnath Nagar” en route the holy cave in Kashmir’s Himalayas.

Speaking to newsmen at his Hyderpora residence, Geelani demanded the dissolution of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board and said that the yatra should be handed over to the Kashmiri Pandits and its duration reduced to the original 15 days.

In a scathing attack on the National Conference for bartering away the state’s resources, Geelani said that the party would not hesitate to sell off the entire state for the sake of its power and pelf, and that the developments with regard to the Amarnath route were another indication of this trend.

He said that construction material for the proposed yatra colony was being transported from Rajasthan.

“The central government and the Shrine Board are preparing to construct an Amarnath Nagar around the holy cave, and carve out a state within a state in the Valley,” Geelani said.

“Carrier trucks are being issued special permits by the Shrine Board, and check-posts have been ordered not to search the vehicles with such special documents but let them through without any hindrance,” he said.

“This is all the more surprising because locals are not permitted even to replace a windowpane or fix a bolt,” he said.

Displaying photographs taken on the yatra route, Geelani said that after his September 2 press conference, his alliance had got a survey of its own conducted in the area.

“We have gathered solid evidence that work has formally begun to construct temporary structures and widen the road,” he said, adding that material too was being delivered in the area for this purpose.

“The state government is totally helpless, as all authority has been vested with the governor who receives dictation from New Delhi, and faithfully does its bidding,” he said.

“Omar Abdullah has personally conceded that the governor was exceeding his brief, but had to fall on his knees when summoned to the Governor House the very next day,” he said.

“The entire issue is being sought to be heaped on the Supreme Court when the High Court has already ordered the construction of concrete road up to the holy cave after the natural deaths of 93 pilgrims,” he said.

“When the Supreme Court too suo moto notice of medically-related deaths of pilgrims, the state government sent no legal representative to the High Court to convey that it had taken the matter seriously,” he said.

“The state government is concerned only about its vested interests and power, and tramples over public views and sentiments,” he said.

“Whatever New Delhi wants to do in Jammu and Kashmir, it gets it done through the state government,” he said.

“The state government sees everything, but thinks it better not to let out even a tiny chirrup,” he said.

“After the September 2 disclosures that a concrete road would be built at Amrarnath, the finance minister had gone to town announcing that no such orders had come from the Supreme Court,” he said.

“In a press conference on the same day, I had warned the government to halt the plans as they would entail dire consequences,” he said.

“Soon afterwards, the government got some ministers to clarify that it had no such plans,” he said.

But subsequent events showed that the government was hiding the truth about the road-widening from the public,” he said.

“The entire affair was laid wide open by a meeting between Omar Abdullah and the governor in which it was said that the government would work to implement the Supreme Court order in toto,” he said. 

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