J&K admin seeks action against IAS officer for ‘creating hurdles’ during Amarnath yatra prayer

Jammu: The Jammu and Kashmir administration has asked the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) to take action against an IAS officer who allegedly tried to prevent the Amarnath Shrine Board officials from undertaking “pratham pooja” (first prayer) for Amarnath yatra, sources said on Monday.

This is for the first time in many years that the administration has made a complaint to the DoPT against a bureaucrat, they said.

This step was taken after the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) officials made a complaint to the office of Lieutenant Governor G C Murmu that an IAS officer tried to prevent them from undertaking “pratham pooja” for Amarnath yatra, the sources said.

The administration has written to the DoPT seeking action against the officer who tried to create hurdles in the passage of the pooja, the sources told PTI.

The Lt governor has taken a serious note of the “behaviour” of the officer, they said.

The traditional ‘’pratham pooja’’ (first prayer) for the annual pilgrimage to the holy cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas was held here last week, officials said.

Normally, the ceremony marks the start of the Amarnath Yatra, which spans nearly two months.

However, this year, according to sources, the yatra is likely to begin on July 21 and its duration shortened to 15 days due to the coronavirus pandemic.

(PTI)