Reasi, Mar 7: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha inaugurated a sweeping infrastructure facelift and beautification drive at the revered Shiv Khori Shrine in Reasi district Saturday, thanking JSW Group—led by CMD Sajjan Jindal—for bankrolling the project under CSR since a 2023 MoU, calling it a “profound act of kindness for humanity’s shared heritage.”
“Shiv Khori’s awakening begins—we’ve not just upgraded paths and facilities but fortified faith itself,” Sinha declared to a packed crowd of devotees, officials, and locals, listing fresh works like Shivam Dwar renovations, Mahadev Bhawan repairs, ghat refurbishments, gazebos, toilet blocks, medical kiosks, pony sheds, and lighting upgrades—easing treks for lakhs of annual pilgrims to the cave shrine housing Lord Shiva’s mystic lingam.
Sinha envisioned J&K as the nation’s “vibrant spiritual heart,” spotlighting parallel boosts at Amarnath Yatra routes and Vaishno Devi’s “living spiritual corridor.” “After five years of grit, Jammu Kashmir is roaring back as a hub of knowledge, art, music, and dharma—the flame of tapas we once lit globally burns anew,” he said, urging youth to balance inner peace with outer hustle at these timeless sites.
Looking ahead, he unveiled a pilgrim-centric roadmap: helipad ready this month, heli-taxis from April, track sheds against landslides, decongestion via Ram Mandir alternate path, Ransoo shrine facelifts, sanitation drives, serai-langar hubs, sound-and-light shows, even ropeway feasibility studies—all to slash risks and swell footfall.
“We’ll spawn a thriving ecosystem for traders, artisans, youth, and women,” Sinha pledged, flagging off a J&K Bank-donated garbage vehicle. Attendees included MLA Kuldeep Raj Dubey, Div Com Ramesh Kumar (Shrine Board Chair), DIG Sarah Rizvi, DC Kumar Abhishek, and throngs of faithful—marking a renaissance milestone as Shiv Khori joins J&K’s tourism boom.
