Omar Abdullah criticises construction of motorable road up to Amarnath shrine, says playing with environment not good

National Conference (NC) vice president Omar Abdullah on Tuesday asked the government to rethink a project for motorable roads up to the Amarnath cave shrine in Kashmir. Meanwhile, the BJP has welcomed the move.

“In the green belts of Gulmarg, Sonamarg and Pahalgam, no one is allowed to even repair or make additions to structures to protect the ecology and the environment. If such measures are being taken to protect these areas, then it should also be a responsibility to preserve the environment near the Amarnath holy cave,” Mr. Abdulah said.

He said pilgrims, for centuries, traveled by foot as part of a tradition to reach the shrine. “Such pilgrimages involve a degree of hardship. No one drives in a car in Kaaba and many pilgrims prefer to trek to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine. Using vehicles is more of a disruption than development,” Mr. Abdullah said.