Katra, May 23: Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine board (SMVDSB) Katra has been providing sehri and iftari to over 500 Muslims quarantined at Aashirwad Bhawan and other quarantined center across Katra during the holy month of Ramadan.
Chief executive officer (CEO) of SMVDSB—Ramesh Kumar said: “In the month of Ramazan, the Board has been working overnight to provide sehri and iftari to our Muslim and other meal to the different people quarantined across Katra town, since March 10, 2020.”
“We are running a quarantine centre at Aashirwad Bhawan, which has a capacity of 500 beds. Since it’s the holy month of Ramzan and the government of Jammu and Kashmir has been bringing back its residents from different parts of the country, we converted Aashirwad Bhawan in Katra into a quarantine centre in the month of March,” said Kumar.
“Those brought to Aashirwad Bhawan are mostly labourers, who are fasting during the month of Ramazan. So, we decided to provide them sehri and iftari every day,” said the CEO.
The migrant labourers have come to Jammu and Kashmir from different parts of the country in special Shramik trains and buses to Udhampur town, which is centrally located. Katra is around 40 km away from Udhampur.
Kumar said apart from the Aashirwad Bhawan, the shrine board has been providing breakfast, lunch and dinner to the people quarantined in other government facilities in Katra.
It is important to mention here at every year near a crore pilgrims visits the holy shrine and summer holiday is the peak season for the pilgrimage. But due to corona pandemic yatra has been suspended for the last three months.
