Vaishno Devi shrine sets up dedicated network of over 700 cameras

KATRA: The cave shrine of Vaishno Devi atop Trikuta hills in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district has put in place e-surveillance through a dedicated CCTV network of over 700 cameras, officials said on Friday.

A record of over 91.25 lakh devotees paid obeisance at the shrine in 2022, the highest in the past nine years, they said.

“Safety and security of pilgrims is the top priority of shrine board,” Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB), Anshul Garg said.

For the purpose of real-time tracking of pilgrims on the track, ensure proper crowd management and manage registration of the pilgrimage in a seamless and hassle-free way, the board has started the issuance of free RFID-based yatra access cards.

“The system of RFID tracking of pilgrims includes e-surveillance through a dedicated CCTV network of over 700 cameras with proper end-to-end MIS reporting on a real time basis,” the CEO said.

The arrangement will also check the flow of pilgrims strictly as per the holding capacity of the track, area and location, he said.

Garg underscored various ongoing infrastructure development projects to facilitate pilgrims and those that are in the pipeline. “These include the completion of a five-storey Durga Bhawan by Chaitra Navratras which has provisions to accommodate 2,500 pilgrims on a daily basis,” he said.

Besides, the construction of a 200-metre-long skywalk at the bhawan with wooden flooring conceptualised by the board to overcome the problem of multi-directional flow of the yatra, the official added.