Misreporting in Media: No order to ban chanting mantras during Amarnath Yatra
New Delhi, December 15: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) clarified that it has not declared the Amarnath cave shrine in the South Kashmir Himalayas a silence zone.
Earlier media reports claim that the NGT directed the Amarnath Shrine board to ban chanting mantras or jayakaras and ringing of bells in Amarnath to prevent increase in temperature of the holy cave, which will accelerate the melting of the ice Shivlinga.
The green court has also recommended the board to prohibit devotees from carrying mobile phones and other electronic devices after the last check-post.
The Amarnath Shrine Board had faced the wrath of the National Green Tribunal for not providing proper infrastructural facilities to pilgrims going to the cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas, saying it can't deprive people of proper darshan.
"You are giving priority to commercial activities over pilgrims. This is unfair. The sanctity of the shrine has to be maintained but you can't deprive people of proper darshan," a bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar had then said.
Order of the National Green Tribunal in the matter of Gauri Maulekhi Vs. State of Jammu & Kashmir & Others dated 14/12/2017 regarding lack of infrastructural facilities for devotees visiting Amaarnath Shrine.
NGT makes it clear that its order dated 13th December, 2017 has neither intended nor actually declared the entire area falling under the Amarnath Shrine Board as a Silence Zone. The only restriction the Tribunal had placed is that the devotee/pilgrim or anybody while standing in front of the Amarnath Shivling – a natural formation in the cave shall maintain silence at that place. This restriction shall not apply to the daily Aarti that is performed.