New Delhi, May 31: The Delhi High Court was informed on Tuesday that the Amarnathji Shrine Board has decided to do sale of tickets of helicopter services from Jammu and Kashmir online for the yatra.
A bench of Acting Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Sachin Datta disposed of a plea seeking direction to the board to adopt online system for booking and sale of tickets of helicopter services from Jammu and Kashmir, especially for old, ailing and disabled pilgrims, for the yatra.
The bench disposed of the plea after the petitioner organisation Indian Council of Legal Aid’s general secretary and advocate R K Saini submitted that it has no grievance with the system put in place and now nothing survives in the petition.
The board’s submission was made in a counter affidavit filed in pursuance to the high court’s May 23 order when notice was issued on the petition.
The petition had submitted that the refusal of Centre and the shrine board to introduce the online system for booking and sale of all tickets of helicopter services from Jammu and Srinagar for Amarnath yatra, is resulting into hoarding and black marketing of tickets leading to the misery for thousands of genuine and needy pilgrims.
It had termed it as wholly arbitrary, discriminatory, irrational, unwarranted and unjust, and against public interest.
The petition, through lawyer Avadh Kaushik, said that according to a news report, it is the priority of the Narendra Modi government that the pilgrims coming for the Amarnath yatra should have hassle free darshan and they should not face any problems.
“But surprisingly, the problem of not being able to obtain helicopter tickets for Baba Amarnath Yatra, by the old and ailing and disable pilgrims on account of the black marketing of tickets by the authorised agents in collusion with the local hoteliers which already stood highlighted /exposed by the local newspapers and about which a representation already stood made by a public representative…,” the plea said.
It sought to direct the authorities to forthwith make available all the tickets of helicopter service from Jammu/Srinagar to Baba Amarnath Shrine through online booking system only and also revoke the quota of tickets allotted by it to its authorised travel agents for this year’s yatra.
This year’s yatra will begin from June 30 and conclude on August 11.–(PTI)
