Leaving For Vaishno Devi Shrine In Jammu And Kashmir State In India

Leaving For Vaishno Devi Shrine In Jammu And Kashmir State In India

In no time on Thursday I began the search for morning flight from Delhi to Jammu. The sole motive was to have a glimpse of Vaishno Devi the same day. I could zero in on a flight departing at 9.50 am. When I booked the ticket they sought Trip ID to get ticket printout. Soon I received a message that web check-in was mandatory and to click on the link. I was functioning with no smartphone and just normal mobile and to click on the link was next to impossible. I fed the link in the laptop and it took its own sweet time to get the boarding pass issued. For the seat to choose one had to pay extra and this web check-in looked to be tiresome. Five sheets of paper came out in an attempt to get boarding pass. I was travelling after two year hiatus and these new set of rules I was not familiar with and they somewhat looked to be perplexing. I was travelling empty handed as depositing the luggage at Vaishnodevi luggage counter and retrieving clothes and other essentials is a big ask. I was not carrying mobile and belt as well as these too needed to be deposited at the counter. 

Reaching Delhi Airport T 3

Getting taxi for the airport was the next issue I had to grapple with. Mr Nirmal Singh was at the wheels and I left Safdarjung Enclave home at 7.40. Went past Bhikaji Cama Place, Rao Tula Ram Marg and reached airport at 8. As usual there was rush. A woman who had arrived from Kota in Rajasthan State In India was ahead of me and she reasoned with CISF (Central Industrial Security Force) (CISF has been mandated with the task of securing the premises of airports across India) personnel that she be allowed despite coming much earlier. I entered from Gate 3 with CISF personnel Mr R U Chaudhary verifying the ticket and ID. On display board there were flights to different destinations like Mumbai, Darbhanga, Bengaluru and other places and there were no less than 50 flights for the next two to three hours. As I searched for phone booth and at rear end STD/PCO booth could be sighted. There was no personnel manning the counter. In December 2017 there was one gentleman going by the name Mr Harshit Narayan Jha at the counter. He had been working at the airport since 1994. Post local call I left Rs 10 coin.

Announcement Made For Wearing Mask And Maintaining Social Distancing

Frisking was done by a gentleman who was polite and I can't recall his name. Post frisking I could not trace my wallet and with help coming from CISF personnel I got my wallet. There were stores and stores all across airport with alert staff in attendance. At Gate number 48 which was meant for Spice Jet Flight 8373 to Jammu there was heavy rush and I took a seat next to gate number 49 reserved for passengers going to Srinagar. Mind you Jammu and Srinagar are cities in Jammu And Kashmir State In India. There were frequent announcements at regular intervals audible here that wearing mask was mandatory and maintaining social distancing. There were few passengers who heeded to this request and I saw no reason why passengers were not wearing mask. The Jammu Flight took off at 10.09 with Commander Ms Agarwal and Co pilot Mr Singh at the helm. Seated next to window I was biding time with nothing else to do. There were no conversations whatsoever. The flight landed in Jammu at 11.06. There was announcement that that no photos be clicked as it was a defence airport and here I believe these smartphones are a clear waste given the temerity of people to click pictures every now and then. By the time I got out of aircraft it was well past 11.30. Welcome To City Of Temples hoarding was what I was greeted with and as I reached prepaid taxi counter the gentleman Mr Arvinder Singh seem to be in two minds on what taxi to dispense with. One has to splurge Rs 1825 for the ride to Katra. Katra is the place from where one has to trek to Vaishno Devi Shrine. Here in Jammu Airport if they could make arrangements for buses going to Katra it could benefit many. The ride from Jammu was in a taxi where the taximan would frequently put the smartphone in a speaker mode and abuse could be heard coming from other side. Most of the time he was on smartphone and this is risky while driving. The ride was ordinary to say the least. It is better to take taxi from a counter which is just outside the airport. The road to Katra has four tunnels.  The road has enough twists and turns and is built and maintained by National Highways Authority Of India (NHAI) and hats off to them. On the way one has to shell out another Rs 150 as toll tax. The ride from airport which started at 11.50 was amidst an environ where securing the surroundings was the agenda to be followed. Reached Katra a little before 1 pm. 

In Adivo Alladivo on Sri Venkateswara Bhakti Channel (SVBC) that was beamed on April 30 featured Ms Shweta, Ms Joshika, Chakravakillo and others. Special mention made by judge of Ms Joshika. We hail SVBC for beaming proceedings from Tirumala. 

Yedu Kondalwada Venkatramna Govinda Govinda